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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: key · bass · clip · bore · board · hide · spring · lean

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. board — a committee
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bass — low music
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — the season
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bore — to drill
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. key — in music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. key — the most important part
  15. key — for a lock
  16. clip — a video
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. board — to get on
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lean — to bend
  23. bore — to tire
  24. hide — animal skin

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