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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.

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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. chair — a leader
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. land — a country
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bark — to shout
  11. firm — decided
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. firm — a company
  16. tube — a container
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. land — ground
  20. land — to come down
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tube — the underground
  23. firm — steady
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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