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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · bowl · shower · cell · arm · chest

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. rest — a break
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. rest — what's left
  11. cell — in biology
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cell — a phone
  15. rest — what's left
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bowl — a dish

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