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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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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: bear · chest · chip · arm · wake · cap · pop · object

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. object — a thing
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cap — a hat
  8. chest — of your body
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. object — an aim
  12. chest — a box
  13. pop — music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chip — for betting
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. object — to protest
  21. cap — of ice
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. arm — part of the body

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