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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · arm · key · bank · roll · chest · season · last

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. key — for a lock
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — of a river
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. last — final
  12. season — in sport
  13. roll — a list
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. last — to go on
  17. saw — the tool
  18. key — in music
  19. bank — for money
  20. roll — a cake
  21. last — finally
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bank — for money
  24. key — the most important part

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