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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: foot · arm · branch · cell · mark · jam · rest · face

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. foot — a measure
  3. mark — a trace
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rest — what's left
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rest — what's left
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rest — a break
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cell — a phone
  23. face — part of the head
  24. branch — a division

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