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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: temple · leaves · cabinet · arm · chest · coach · mate · wind

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mate — a friend
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. chest — a box
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chest — of your body
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chest — of your body
  24. temple — side of the head

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