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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: lean · wound · fall · board · rule · patient · chip · bat

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. lean — to bend
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — for betting
  7. board — a committee
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rule — a law
  15. fall — to drop
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. lean — thin
  21. fall — the season
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bat — the animal
  24. rule — government

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