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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. plane — a tool
  9. band — a music group
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stem — to come from
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fork — in a road
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. band — a ring

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