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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: fan · file · jam · arm · straw · mate · stem · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  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. kid — child
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. mate — to breed
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. file — a line of people
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. file — a document
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. kid — to tease
  22. file — a tool
  23. arm — part of the body
  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