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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 124 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: kick · lie · band · land · board · mate · chair · branch

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — ground
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. band — a music group
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mate — a friend
  9. kick — in football
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. board — a committee
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. land — to come down
  16. mate — a partner
  17. board — to get on
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. band — a ring
  22. land — a country
  23. chair — a leader
  24. lie — to recline

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