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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: fork · drill · lean · pound · kid · board · patient · object

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — an aim
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — the tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. board — to get on
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. object — a thing
  20. pound — a weight
  21. kid — child
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. board — a committee
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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