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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 · chair · wound · hide · branch · game · mine · lie

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. board — to get on
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lie — to recline
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. mine — for digging
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. game — a match
  20. branch — a division
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. wound — an injury
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. board — a committee

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