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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: bore · chest · lean · bay · firm · patient · board · clip

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. firm — a company
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. clip — to cut
  10. lean — to bend
  11. firm — steady
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. board — to get on
  16. bore — to drill
  17. clip — for paper
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. firm — decided
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. lean — thin
  23. clip — a video
  24. board — a committee

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