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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · trunk · game · cabinet · file · cue · arm · chest

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — the season
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a document
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — a hint
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. spring — a coil
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — a match
  18. chest — a box
  19. cue — for pool
  20. spring — of water
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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