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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. mate — a friend
  6. spring — the season
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — of water
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bank — for money
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bank — for money
  14. chest — a box
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. tear — from crying
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. tear — to rip
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bank — of a river
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mate — to breed

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