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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. drill — the tool
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. suit — in cards
  8. drill — army training
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cap — a lid
  11. chest — a box
  12. cap — of ice
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — to wash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bank — of a river
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bank — for money
  20. shower — rain
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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