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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: bore · wave · bank · cold · saw · pop · track · chest

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cold — an illness
  4. chest — a box
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bank — for money
  7. track — a path
  8. bank — for money
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. track — a song
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bank — of a river
  13. saw — the tool
  14. cold — not warm
  15. pop — music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. track — to keep track
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pop — soda
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — gave birth

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