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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 ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. bore — gave birth
  2. lean — to bend
  3. lean — thin
  4. cap — a hat
  5. bore — to tire
  6. firm — decided
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. land — a country
  12. track — to keep track
  13. land — ground
  14. chest — of your body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. land — to come down
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cap — a lid
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. bore — to drill
  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