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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: chest · lie · stock · lean · mine · safe · fork · arm

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  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. lean — thin
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mine — for digging
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. fork — in a road
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. lie — to recline
  23. lie — an untruth
  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