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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 120 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: staff · arm · pass · chest · shower · wind · deal · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pass — a permit
  9. chest — of your body
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. chest — a box
  15. deal — to handle
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. staff — employees
  19. shower — rain
  20. staff — a stick
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. staff — employees
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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