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

Word bank: last · cell · band · rash · stick · shower · arm · capital

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. shower — to wash
  8. last — finally
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. capital — a city
  11. shower — rain
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — a series
  14. capital — money
  15. band — a ring
  16. last — final
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cell — in biology
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. rash — hasty
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — to go on
  24. band — a music group

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