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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: kid · present · chest · arm · safe · tear · rock · wake

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. present — the time now
  6. tear — from crying
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — a trail
  11. chest — a box
  12. tear — to rip
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. present — there
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. present — a gift
  20. rock — music
  21. chest — of your body
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. tear — from crying
  24. safe — a strongbox

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