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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 · cell · plane · mouse · chip · row · march · stand

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. row — a line
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. march — music
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. chip — for betting
  8. plane — a tool
  9. march — the month
  10. cell — a phone
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. stand — to bear
  13. row — to paddle
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. cell — in biology
  18. march — the month
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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