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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: hand · pitch · fork · stem · craft · board · arm · kick

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. board — a flat piece
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. stem — to come from
  4. craft — boats
  5. pitch — completely
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. craft — a skill
  9. board — a committee
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. hand — help
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hand — in cards
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. board — to get on
  21. kick — in football
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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