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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: wind · bound · jam · chair · track · stem · board · hide

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. board — to get on
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. chair — a leader
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bound — certain
  10. track — a path
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. bound — tied together
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bound — obliged
  19. track — a song
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. track — to keep track
  24. stem — to come from

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