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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: cell · track · chest · sharp · bear · hand · plane · rest

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cell — in biology
  3. chest — a box
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bear — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. rest — a break
  12. hand — in cards
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. cell — a phone
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. hand — help
  20. chest — of your body
  21. rest — what's left
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chest — of your body
  24. plane — in geometry

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