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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: band · spring · cell · chair · bore · chest · bay · key

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. key — in music
  5. chest — of your body
  6. band — a ring
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bore — to drill
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chest — a box
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cell — a phone
  15. spring — a coil
  16. spring — the season
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. band — a music group
  20. spring — of water
  21. key — for a lock
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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