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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  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. chest — of your body
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bore — to tire
  4. firm — steady
  5. chest — a box
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — a company
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. spell — letters
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. firm — decided
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hand — help
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — for dogs
  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