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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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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: cell · rash · trunk · arm · race · wake · chair · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. race — humankind
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. race — the arms race
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rash — a series
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cell — in biology
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rash — hasty
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. race — a contest
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chair — a leader

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