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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · bound · cold · chair · fall · bank · hide · board

  1. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fall — the season
  6. board — to get on
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bound — certain
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fall — to drop
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. cold — not warm
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. board — a committee
  19. fall — to drop
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cold — an illness
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. ground — a position
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com