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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 120 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: lie · patient · board · hide · bound · foot · tube · rock

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bound — certain
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. board — a committee
  11. bound — tied together
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. tube — the underground
  14. foot — a measure
  15. rock — music
  16. board — to get on
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. lie — to recline
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bound — obliged
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. hide — animal skin

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