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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chest — of your body
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. march — the month
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kid — child
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. board — to get on
  19. chest — a box
  20. march — music
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. kid — to tease
  23. march — the month
  24. patient — a sick person

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