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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 · object · chair · branch · season · net · current · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. net — after costs
  3. chair — a leader
  4. board — a committee
  5. net — in sport
  6. last — to go on
  7. board — to get on
  8. current — happening now
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. object — to protest
  11. season — of the year
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. current — of water
  15. current — electric
  16. season — in sport
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. net — for catching
  20. object — an aim
  21. branch — a division
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. last — final
  24. object — a thing

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