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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: hide · wound · arm · chest · trunk · saw · ruler · kick

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. chest — a box
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. saw — the tool
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wound — an injury
  16. saw — the tool
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. kick — in football
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chest — of your body
  24. kick — with a leg

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