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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
468
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: bay · nail · arm · scale · hide · chest · land · spring

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. chest — a box
  3. scale — in music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — of your body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. scale — size or range
  8. chest — of your body
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. spring — the season
  11. land — to come down
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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