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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: chest · chair · mouse · leaves · deal · cabinet · saw · lash

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. deal — to handle
  17. chair — a leader
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. chest — of your body
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chest — a box
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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