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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. spring — a coil
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. spring — the season
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. rule — a law
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. wax — to grow
  18. lie — to recline
  19. rule — government
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spring — of water
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. chest — a box

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