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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.

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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: perch · lash · chest · vault · can · bore · cell · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — in biology
  4. can — a tin
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chest — of your body
  7. cell — a phone
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bore — to tire
  10. chest — a box
  11. can — to be able to
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. can — a tin
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bore — to drill
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. vault — a safe
  24. perch — the fish

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