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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 120 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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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: land · kid · board · content · foot · chest · branch · arm

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. land — a country
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. content — happy
  11. branch — a division
  12. chest — of your body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. land — to come down
  16. board — to get on
  17. land — ground
  18. content — the amount
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. foot — a measure
  22. kid — child
  23. board — a committee
  24. kid — to tease

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