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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: shower · prune · charge · mate · bay · chest · chair · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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 — of your body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chair — a leader
  7. shower — rain
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mate — to breed
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. charge — a price
  15. mate — a partner
  16. chest — a box
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. shower — to wash
  19. charge — in control
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mate — a friend
  22. charge — electricity
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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