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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bore · arm · chair · staff · face · wound · march · tube

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. staff — employees
  3. tube — the underground
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. march — the month
  6. face — to point toward
  7. chair — a leader
  8. march — the month
  9. bore — to drill
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. staff — employees
  16. march — music
  17. face — to confront
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. tube — a container
  20. staff — a stick
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bore — to tire
  24. arm — part of the body

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