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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: pass · face · row · bore · wound · board · club · hide

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bore — to drill
  4. club — for dancing
  5. bore — to tire
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. face — to confront
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — to get on
  11. club — for golf
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. club — a group
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to point toward
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pass — a permit
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. row — to paddle
  23. row — a line
  24. wound — an injury

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