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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: ruler · branch · hide · wake · bowl · chair · march · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wake — a trail
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. march — the month
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chip — for betting
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. march — music
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. branch — a division
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chair — to sit on

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