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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. band — a music group
  3. spell — magic
  4. chest — of your body
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pound — a weight
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. rock — a stone
  11. spell — letters
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. rest — what's left
  15. band — a ring
  16. stand — to bear
  17. rock — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rest — what's left
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. rest — a break
  24. chest — a box

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