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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 · hand · chair · mine · calf · toast · bear · field

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. field — a subject
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. mine — for digging
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. chair — a leader
  19. field — for sport
  20. bear — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. hand — in cards
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — bread

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