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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: root · chair · mark · chest · leaves · rest · bear · hand

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. mark — a grade
  8. chest — a box
  9. root — the cause
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. mark — a trace
  16. root — of a word
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — a leader
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. hand — help
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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