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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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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: chest · firm · bark · pop · temple · arm · fan · spell

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — of your body
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. spell — letters
  5. firm — decided
  6. spell — a short time
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pop — to visit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. pop — soda
  17. spell — magic
  18. firm — steady
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. pop — music
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. firm — a company

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