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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: rock · drill · bound · chest · hand · bear · season · board

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. rock — a stone
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rock — music
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. drill — army training
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. drill — the tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bound — certain
  24. season — to add flavour

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