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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.

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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. kick — in football
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — of water
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wax — to grow
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chest — a box
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pound — a weight
  16. shower — rain
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. current — electric
  19. shower — to wash
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. current — happening now
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. wax — for sculpting

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