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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: lean · land · bore · pitcher · mark · key · clip · board

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. clip — a video
  4. clip — to cut
  5. mark — a trace
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. clip — for paper
  11. mark — a grade
  12. key — in music
  13. land — to come down
  14. lean — thin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. land — a country
  18. lean — to bend
  19. land — ground
  20. bore — to drill
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. bore — to tire

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