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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: drill · arm · hand · leaves · dip · cell · staff · stock

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. hand — help
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. cell — in biology
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. staff — a stick
  7. dip — to sink
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. staff — employees
  14. stock — goods
  15. staff — employees
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — shares
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cell — a phone
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. hand — in cards

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