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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 116 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: land · field · chair · lie · branch · pass · hand · hide

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. pass — a permit
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. hand — in cards
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — farmland
  11. lie — to recline
  12. field — for sport
  13. land — a country
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. land — ground
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hand — help
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. land — to come down

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