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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: wave · mark · temple · arm · roll · pound · cell · chest

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mark — a grade
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. roll — a list
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — a box
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mark — a trace
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. chest — of your body
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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