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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. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wind — moving air
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. current — happening now
  9. last — finally
  10. last — to go on
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — shares
  17. current — electric
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. current — of water
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. stem — a stem cell

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