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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: chest · club · roll · plane · foot · rash · fall · tube

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. chest — a box
  4. rash — a series
  5. fall — to drop
  6. rash — hasty
  7. fall — the season
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fall — to drop
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. plane — a tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. tube — the underground
  18. chest — of your body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. tube — a container

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