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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  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. chest — of your body
  2. root — of a word
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bound — tied together
  5. chest — a box
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bass — the fish
  11. root — the cause
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. root — of a plant
  16. bore — to drill
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bass — low music
  22. bound — certain
  23. bore — to tire
  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