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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
468
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: chest · net · hand · arm · fork · staff · land · band

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. net — for catching
  4. land — to come down
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. staff — employees
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. chest — of your body
  13. land — a country
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. staff — employees
  17. hand — in cards
  18. net — in sport
  19. net — after costs
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — ground
  22. fork — in a road
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hand — help

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