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

Word bank: chest · fork · tear · cell · arm · staff

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. tear — to rip
  5. staff — employees
  6. cell — a phone
  7. tear — from crying
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cell — in biology
  13. chest — a box
  14. staff — employees
  15. chest — of your body
  16. staff — a stick
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. tear — from crying

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