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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: mug · kid · object · chest · ground · wake · cabinet · bore

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. object — a thing
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. object — to protest
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ground — the earth
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bore — to tire
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mug — a cup
  13. object — an aim
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wake — a trail
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. ground — a position
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — child
  24. bore — to drill

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