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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: chest · capital · branch · hide · rock · wake · mine · board

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. capital — money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. board — a committee
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chest — a box
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rock — music
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. capital — a city
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mine — for digging
  19. board — to get on
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wake — a trail
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. branch — a division

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