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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: track · chest · lean · bore · shower · ground · perch · wake

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. shower — to wash
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. perch — the fish
  9. lean — thin
  10. ground — a position
  11. track — to keep track
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — a path
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bore — to tire
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. wake — a trail
  20. shower — rain
  21. bore — to drill
  22. track — a song
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. chest — of your body

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