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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 · spring · foot · wind · lie · jam · stem · mark

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. wind — moving air
  4. mark — a trace
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. spring — the season
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. stem — to come from
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lie — to recline
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mark — to pay attention

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