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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. shower — to wash
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bank — for money
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — farmland
  11. shower — rain
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. ball — a dance
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bank — of a river
  17. rock — music
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. field — for sport
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — a subject
  24. ball — a round shape

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