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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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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: arm · mine · root · chest · march · race · craft · key

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. chest — a box
  3. race — humankind
  4. root — the cause
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. march — music
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chest — of your body
  11. key — in music
  12. march — the month
  13. race — a contest
  14. chest — of your body
  15. race — the arms race
  16. key — the most important part
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. root — of a word
  19. craft — boats
  20. root — of a plant
  21. key — for a lock
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — for digging

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