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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: stem · foot · arm · bound · rush · rest · tear · march

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. stem — to come from
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. march — music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. march — the month
  15. foot — a measure
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bound — certain
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. rest — what's left
  23. march — the month
  24. rest — what's left

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