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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: chest · jam · arm · object · stand · fan · roll · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. object — to protest
  6. object — a thing
  7. chest — of your body
  8. spell — letters
  9. roll — a cake
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. object — an aim
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. spell — a short time
  14. roll — a list
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. chest — of your body
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stand — to bear
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — a box

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