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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. present — there
  5. chest — of your body
  6. key — for a lock
  7. drill — a practice
  8. rash — hasty
  9. chest — a box
  10. wake — a trail
  11. drill — the tool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. drill — army training
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bank — for money
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — in music
  18. rash — a series
  19. present — a gift
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bark — to shout
  23. present — the time now
  24. bark — of a tree

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