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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chest — a box
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bound — tied together
  11. stem — to come from
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to drill
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bound — obliged
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. mate — to breed
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. chest — of your body

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