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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: arm · file · cabinet · firm · stem · chair · mouse · wind

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a document
  5. firm — decided
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stem — to come from
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. file — a tool
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chair — a leader
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. firm — a company

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