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

Word bank: patient · plane · wind · pound · board · tear

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. 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. tear — to rip
  2. board — to get on
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wind — moving air
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. tear — from crying
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. tear — from crying
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pound — a weight
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. 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