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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: pop · bat · board · face · patient · chest · calf · tear

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. pop — music
  4. tear — from crying
  5. chest — of your body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. face — to confront
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. face — to point toward
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. face — part of the head
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pop — soda
  16. pop — to visit
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. tear — to rip
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. board — a committee
  24. chest — a box

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