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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. mark — a grade
  7. rest — what's left
  8. snap — to click
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chip — for betting
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. rest — a break
  20. chest — a box
  21. mark — a trace
  22. chip — to eat
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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