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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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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: rest · content · arm · trunk · row · mate · club · mouse

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. content — happy
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mate — a friend
  12. rest — a break
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a partner
  15. club — for dancing
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rest — what's left
  20. club — a group
  21. content — the amount
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. row — a quarrel

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