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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: wind · bear · arm · mate · lie · chest · stem · firm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bear — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. chest — of your body
  6. firm — decided
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. firm — steady
  14. stem — to come from
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chest — a box
  20. lie — to recline
  21. firm — a company
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. stem — of a plant

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