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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. face — to point toward
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. face — part of the head
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. spring — of water
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — moving air
  17. spring — a coil
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. face — to confront
  21. spring — the season
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. wind — to turn a key

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