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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. drill — the tool
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. tube — the underground
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. drill — a practice
  9. chest — of your body
  10. drill — army training
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tube — a container
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. lie — to recline
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chest — a box
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — in the ear

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