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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: bore · row · leaves · track · chest · pound · sharp · bear

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bear — the animal
  4. row — a line
  5. pound — a weight
  6. track — a path
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. track — a song
  12. row — to paddle
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. chest — of your body
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. track — to keep track
  24. sharp — clever

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