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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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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: arm · wound · content · patient · fall · hand · board · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. content — the amount
  4. fall — the season
  5. wound — an injury
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. content — happy
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hand — help
  10. board — a committee
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. board — to get on
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. arm — part of the body

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