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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: mouse · kick · pop · chest · file · wave · bear · trunk

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. chest — of your body
  4. file — a tool
  5. pop — soda
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. file — a document
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. kick — in football
  20. pop — music
  21. chest — a box
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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