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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: leaves · chest · pop · arm · land · band · ground · row

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. chest — of your body
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. land — ground
  5. chest — a box
  6. pop — music
  7. row — to paddle
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a ring
  10. land — a country
  11. ground — a position
  12. land — to come down
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. chest — of your body
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. pop — soda
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. row — a line
  24. ground — crushed

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