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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.

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: bat · chest · squash · saw · bulb · fall · lie · bore

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. chest — a box
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. squash — the sport
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fall — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. bulb — for light
  22. squash — to crush
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. fall — to drop

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