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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: hide · board · patient · chest · wind · cap

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cap — a hat
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — a committee
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. cap — of ice
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. board — to get on
  18. wind — moving air

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