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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. spring — the season
  7. craft — boats
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. deal — to handle
  10. capital — a city
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. current — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. wax — to grow
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. chest — of your body
  20. capital — money
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chest — a box
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. spring — of water

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