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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 120 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: stick · chest · drill · bore · mine · kick · scale · lash

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  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. scale — for weighing
  3. kick — in football
  4. scale — size or range
  5. chest — a box
  6. drill — army training
  7. chest — of your body
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mine — for digging
  19. scale — in music
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  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