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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · board · hand · root · shower · press · arm · saw

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. saw — the tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — newspapers
  8. hand — help
  9. chest — of your body
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. root — of a word
  12. shower — to wash
  13. board — to get on
  14. root — of a plant
  15. hand — in cards
  16. saw — the tool
  17. press — to push
  18. board — a committee
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. root — the cause
  23. chest — a box
  24. arm — part of the body

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