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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — in biology
  3. saw — the tool
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rock — a stone
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fall — to drop
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fall — the season
  12. saw — the tool
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cell — a phone
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rock — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. foot — a measure
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. lean — thin

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