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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: tear · hide · wound · toast · board · chair · tube · temple

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. board — a committee
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. chair — a leader
  5. tube — a container
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. tear — to rip
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. toast — bread
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tear — from crying
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. board — to get on
  15. wound — an injury
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wound — an injury
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — a flat piece

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