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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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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 · kick · staff · field · cell · mine · stock · stick

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mine — for digging
  4. staff — a stick
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. field — a subject
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. field — for sport
  11. staff — employees
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. stock — goods
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. stock — shares
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. field — farmland
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. staff — employees
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. arm — part of the body

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