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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.

Words on the sheet
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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. row — to paddle
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. file — a document
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — a line
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. file — a line of people
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. bore — to drill
  21. chest — a box
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. file — a tool

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