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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: track · wound · wake · chest · pound · cabinet · arm · bore

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bore — to tire
  4. wound — an injury
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chest — a box
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. chest — of your body
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bore — to drill
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cabinet — ministers

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