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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: land · arm · net · cell · wake · bass · stock · calf

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bass — low music
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. net — for catching
  8. cell — a phone
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — ground
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. land — to come down
  16. stock — shares
  17. bass — the fish
  18. land — a country
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — goods
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. stock — a soup base

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