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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 · bowl · wound · pop · saw · dip · club · fan

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. club — for dancing
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. dip — to sink
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. club — a group
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pop — soda
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. club — for golf
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. dip — to dunk

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