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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. present — a gift
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. present — the time now
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bank — for money
  18. present — there
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stock — shares
  22. chest — of your body
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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