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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — a division
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — a skill
  7. roll — a list
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bore — to tire
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. craft — boats
  12. roll — a cake
  13. rest — a break
  14. bore — to drill
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. chest — a box
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. craft — a handicraft

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