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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: arm · mine · tear · jam · mouse · stem · object · present

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. tear — from crying
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. present — a gift
  10. tear — to rip
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. present — there
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. object — a thing
  17. tear — from crying
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. object — an aim
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. object — to protest
  23. present — the time now
  24. stem — a stem cell

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