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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: fan · ball · stem · wave · bore · sharp · foot · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. bore — to drill
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. sharp — clever
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. stem — to come from
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. ball — a dance
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. chest — a box
  23. foot — a measure
  24. stem — a stem cell

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