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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 · land · hand · row · stem · scale · court · safe

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. hand — in cards
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. stem — to come from
  15. court — of a king
  16. row — a line
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — size or range

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