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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: hand · rock · patient · board · drill · roll · chair · fall

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. chair — a leader
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. board — a committee
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. roll — a list
  8. fall — the season
  9. drill — the tool
  10. board — to get on
  11. fall — to drop
  12. drill — a practice
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. fall — to drop
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. hand — help
  18. drill — army training
  19. rock — music
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. chair — to sit on

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