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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · lash · pitcher · branch · cell · arm · bound · leaves

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in biology
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — a division
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. bound — certain
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chest — a box
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — a phone

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