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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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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: lean · bay · chest · mouse · arm · race · spring · spell

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — of water
  8. race — a contest
  9. chest — a box
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. race — humankind
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. lean — thin
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. spring — a coil
  21. lean — to bend
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. lean — to rest against

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