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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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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: mouse · tear · firm · chest · cell · fine · land · plane

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. tear — from crying
  6. fine — all right
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. land — to come down
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. plane — a tool
  11. firm — decided
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. firm — a company
  14. firm — steady
  15. land — a country
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fine — high quality
  18. land — ground
  19. tear — to rip
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. tear — from crying
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cell — in biology

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