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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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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: board · cabinet · hide · branch · bore · land · wave · bass

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bass — the fish
  5. board — to get on
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bass — low music
  8. land — to come down
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. branch — a division
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. board — a committee
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bore — to drill

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