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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 120 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: chest · saw · arm · stand · tear · spell · lean · drill

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. spell — letters
  6. tear — from crying
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. tear — from crying
  9. lean — to bend
  10. spell — magic
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. tear — to rip
  14. drill — a practice
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — to bear
  19. chest — of your body
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lean — thin
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. drill — army training
  24. stand — on your feet

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