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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: tear · trunk · chest · arm · foot · file · capital · cabinet

  1. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. file — a line of people
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. capital — money
  7. chest — of your body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tear — to rip
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. file — a document
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. file — a tool
  18. capital — a city
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. chest — a box

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