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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: wave · clip · chair · lie · chest · patient · bore · suit

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. suit — to fit
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. suit — in cards
  10. clip — a video
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. chest — a box
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. bore — to tire
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lie — to recline
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. clip — to cut
  23. suit — clothes
  24. lie — an untruth

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