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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. stem — to come from
  6. cap — a hat
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cap — of ice
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. chest — of your body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pound — a weight
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cap — a lid

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