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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The moon will ________________ and wane.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. bore — to drill
  4. drill — army training
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ground — the earth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. chest — a box
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. firm — a company
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — decided
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. firm — steady
  23. bore — to tire
  24. wax — to grow

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