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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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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: pound · kick · chest · bear · chair · cell · band · cabinet

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. cell — in biology
  4. chest — a box
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. kick — in football
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bear — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. pound — a weight
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. band — a music group

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