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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: chest · wound · cabinet · cell · dip · tube · row · perch

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cell — in biology
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. chest — of your body
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tube — a container
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. tube — the underground
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chest — a box
  20. row — a line
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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