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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: chest · cold · pound · bear · rock · craft · bore · mate

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pound — a weight
  4. cold — not warm
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. mate — a friend
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mate — to breed
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a skill
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bore — to tire
  24. rock — music

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