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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: stem · arm · game · plane · rest · chair · hide · sharp

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a match
  5. sharp — clever
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. rest — a break
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chair — a leader
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — to come from
  18. rest — what's left
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rest — what's left
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. plane — a tool

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