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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: cabinet · race · chest · arm · fan · craft · root · scale

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. scale — in music
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. root — the cause
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. chest — of your body
  13. root — of a plant
  14. race — a contest
  15. chest — a box
  16. race — humankind
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. craft — boats
  19. scale — size or range
  20. root — of a word
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. chest — of your body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. race — the arms race

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