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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. charge — a price
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. spell — a short time
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spell — magic
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. charge — electricity
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. tube — the underground
  14. spell — letters
  15. charge — in control
  16. chest — of your body
  17. tube — a container
  18. root — of a word
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. chest — a box
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  24. arm — part of the body

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