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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: arm · march · cell · stand · chest · object

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cell — in biology
  4. object — a thing
  5. march — the month
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. march — the month
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. chest — a box
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stand — to bear
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cell — a phone
  18. march — music

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