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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chest — a box
  4. bound — tied together
  5. land — a country
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. land — ground
  9. bank — for money
  10. pit — in a race
  11. chest — of your body
  12. drill — army training
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bound — obliged
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bank — of a river
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bound — certain
  19. chest — of your body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bore — to drill
  23. land — to come down
  24. bank — for money

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