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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.

Make a worksheet

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: chest · arm · shower · scale · mug · root · saw · mark

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. root — of a word
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. shower — rain
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mug — a cup
  9. scale — size or range
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. mug — to rob
  13. chest — a box
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. root — of a plant
  19. chest — of your body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. saw — the tool
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. scale — in music
  24. root — the cause

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