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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: cue · hide · trunk · hand · shower · arm · rest · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — to wash
  7. chest — of your body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cue — a signal
  10. chest — a box
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — a break
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cue — for pool
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. hide — animal skin

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