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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · hand · bound · mate · arm · rock · stand · racket

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mate — to breed
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stand — to bear
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bound — certain
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — tied together
  24. rock — music

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