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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 · pound · bore · chest · pitcher · lean · kick · mine

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chest — a box
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. board — a committee
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. board — to get on
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. chest — of your body
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lean — to bend
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. chest — of your body

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