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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: board · patient · tear · toast · straw · row · wound · leaves

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. wound — an injury
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. tear — from crying
  5. row — a line
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. tear — to rip
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — bread
  11. wound — an injury
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. board — to get on
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tear — from crying
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. leaves — to go away

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