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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 120 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: mine · bore · object · racket · lie · chest · leaves · kick

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. chest — of your body
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. object — to protest
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — of your body
  12. object — a thing
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. chest — a box
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. lie — to recline
  17. kick — in football
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. object — an aim
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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