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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: bear · chair · bound · land · board · dip · wake · mate

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mate — a partner
  5. wake — a trail
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. board — to get on
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bound — obliged
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bound — tied together
  13. dip — to sink
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bound — certain
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. chair — a leader
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bear — the animal
  20. land — a country
  21. board — a committee
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bear — the animal

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