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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. chest — of your body
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chest — a box
  11. lean — thin
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chest — of your body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. arm — a part of something

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