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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. face — to confront
  6. squash — to crush
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stem — to come from
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. face — to point toward
  12. branch — a division
  13. kid — to tease
  14. squash — the sport
  15. suit — to fit
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. suit — in cards
  18. chest — of your body
  19. kid — child
  20. suit — clothes
  21. chest — a box
  22. craft — boats
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. craft — a skill

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