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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chest — of your body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. branch — a division
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. root — of a plant
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. chest — a box
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. roll — a list
  21. root — the cause
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. root — of a word
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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