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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bore — to drill
  6. charge — a price
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. present — the time now
  14. bore — to tire
  15. charge — in control
  16. stem — to come from
  17. wax — to grow
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. present — a gift
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. present — there
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. tear — to rip
  24. stem — of a plant

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