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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
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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: lie · stock · swing · wound · arm · jam · mine · trunk

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. swing — music
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stock — goods
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. wound — an injury
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lie — to recline
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. swing — to play on
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. stock — shares
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. swing — in golf
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — for digging

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