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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.

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: mine · chest · arm · bore · wave · staff · capital · season

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. chest — a box
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. staff — employees
  7. chest — of your body
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. chest — of your body
  10. capital — money
  11. bore — to drill
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. capital — a city
  14. staff — a stick
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. season — in sport
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. staff — employees
  23. season — of the year
  24. bore — to tire

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