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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: rest · prune · bore · deal · bowl · lie · chest · fan

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. prune — to trim
  3. lie — to recline
  4. chest — of your body
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chest — a box
  10. rest — a break
  11. deal — to handle
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. prune — to trim
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rest — what's left
  21. chest — of your body
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. fan — a supporter

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