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

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. chest — of your body
  3. face — to confront
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. chest — of your body
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bank — of a river
  8. shower — rain
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bank — for money
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. squash — to crush
  16. chest — a box
  17. bank — for money
  18. cue — a signal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bore — to tire
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bore — to drill

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