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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 sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. branch — a division
  7. snap — to click
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chest — of your body
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. chest — a box

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