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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. row — to paddle
  6. band — a ring
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. band — a music group
  9. ground — a position
  10. hand — help
  11. row — a line
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. chest — a box
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ground — crushed
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. chest — of your body
  24. row — a quarrel

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