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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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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: pass · ground · cell · stock · craft · kid · arm · band

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  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. ground — the earth
  2. ground — crushed
  3. craft — a skill
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. craft — boats
  7. stock — goods
  8. cell — in biology
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. band — a ring
  13. stock — shares
  14. band — a music group
  15. kid — child
  16. ground — a position
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cell — a phone
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. band — a rubber band
  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