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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. chest — a box
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. firm — decided
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. can — to be able to
  8. can — a tin
  9. firm — steady
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. can — a tin
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. pound — a weight
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. firm — a company
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. kick — in football

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