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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: branch · field · march · rule · chair · rash · present · board

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. march — music
  8. board — to get on
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. rule — government
  14. march — the month
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — a committee
  17. chair — a leader
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. field — for sport
  21. march — the month
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rule — a law
  24. present — the time now

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