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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: chest · fork · tear · cell · arm · staff · cue · lash

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cell — a phone
  6. staff — a stick
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. staff — employees
  9. cell — in biology
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. fork — in a road
  15. chest — of your body
  16. tear — to rip
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. cell — in a prison

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