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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — child
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. lean — thin
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bark — to shout
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lean — to bend
  17. squash — to crush
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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