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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: sharp · arm · staff · game · stem · pass · bound · wound

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. bound — tied together
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a match
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — a permit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bound — obliged
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bound — certain
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. sharp — clever
  21. staff — employees
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stem — to come from
  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