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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: fall · fork · stock · foot · chest · lean · craft · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. stock — goods
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. lean — to bend
  7. chest — a box
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. fall — to drop
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stock — shares
  19. fall — the season
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. lean — thin
  22. craft — boats
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. arm — a part of something

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