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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. chest — of your body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. file — a line of people
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. chest — a box
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. stem — to come from
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — low music
  16. rock — music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bass — the fish
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. wound — an injury
  23. chest — of your body
  24. nail — for a hammer

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