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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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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: kick · chest · mug · squash · tear · bore · bank · fan

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bank — for money
  4. mug — to rob
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. bank — for money
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bank — of a river
  16. tear — from crying
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. chest — a box
  20. bore — to tire
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. kick — in football
  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