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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: root · date · chest · bore · chair · pop · cap · straw

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. date — the fruit
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. root — of a plant
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. root — of a word
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. chest — of your body
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pop — soda
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cap — a lid
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bore — to tire
  21. chair — a leader
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. root — the cause

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