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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitcher · saw · bore · lie · chest · wax · dip · hand

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to drill
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hand — help
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chest — a box
  7. lie — to recline
  8. wax — to grow
  9. dip — to sink
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. saw — the tool
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bore — to tire
  18. hand — in cards
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. chest — of your body
  24. wax — in the ear

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