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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bore — to tire
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cold — an illness
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. face — to confront
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chest — a box
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. chip — to eat
  24. stem — to come from

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