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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: stem · track · racket · march · deal · wound · content · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a path
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. stem — to come from
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. track — to keep track
  11. march — music
  12. content — the amount
  13. march — the month
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. track — a song
  20. content — happy
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wound — an injury

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