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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
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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: wind · chest · rock · fall · bore · rush · pitcher · date

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rock — music
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bore — to tire
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fall — the season
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. date — the fruit
  21. wind — moving air
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bore — to drill
  24. rush — hurry

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