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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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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: land · board · patient · firm · kick · chest · rule · branch

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. board — to get on
  3. land — to come down
  4. chest — of your body
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. rule — a law
  7. chest — a box
  8. firm — steady
  9. rule — government
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. kick — in football
  12. firm — a company
  13. branch — a division
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. land — a country
  19. board — a committee
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. land — ground
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. firm — decided

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