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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — for light
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bound — certain
  5. roll — a cake
  6. chest — a box
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bear — the animal
  9. roll — a list
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pass — a permit
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bear — the animal
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. chest — of your body
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bulb — of a plant

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