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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: cabinet · chair · arm · key · dip · hide · wound · wind

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. key — in music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. dip — to sink
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wound — an injury
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wound — an injury
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wind — moving air

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