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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: chest · plane · rock · bark · kick · key · arm · tear

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. chest — of your body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. chest — a box
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. key — for a lock
  13. key — the most important part
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kick — in football
  18. rock — music
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bark — to shout
  22. key — in music
  23. tear — from crying
  24. kick — with a leg

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