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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: pop · cabinet · stem · arm · bound · kid · jam · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — to come from
  8. kid — child
  9. pop — music
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — to visit
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. ball — a great time

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