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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · wax · hand · chest · bore · deal · fan · wound

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. cell — a phone
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wound — an injury
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. chest — a box
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bore — to tire
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wax — to grow
  23. deal — to handle
  24. fan — a supporter

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