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

Word bank: chest · saw · bear · race · deal · dip · cell · bore

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bear — the animal
  6. race — humankind
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. race — a contest
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. bore — to drill
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bear — the animal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. cell — in biology
  24. dip — to dunk

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