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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. chest — a box
  2. bank — for money
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bank — for money
  5. present — a gift
  6. roll — a cake
  7. present — there
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. chest — of your body
  10. roll — a list
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cell — a phone
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. bank — of a river
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bore — to tire
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bore — to drill
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. present — the time now
  23. squash — to crush
  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