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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
468
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 · arm · capital · wound · stock · leaves · rash · racket

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. chest — a box
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. capital — a city
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stock — goods
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — an injury
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chest — of your body
  16. capital — money
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — shares
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — hasty
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. rash — a series

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