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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: key · fall · foot · rock · trunk · arm · tear · press

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. key — the most important part
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. tear — from crying
  8. rock — music
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. press — to push
  11. key — for a lock
  12. fall — to drop
  13. tear — to rip
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. key — in music
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. press — a publisher
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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