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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: leaves · row · kid · arm · bear · chest · ground · can

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. can — to be able to
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. row — a line
  9. bear — the animal
  10. ground — crushed
  11. row — to paddle
  12. chest — a box
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. kid — child
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — a position
  24. can — a tin

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