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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 · coach · stem · kid · hand · racket · staff · chest

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chest — a box
  5. kid — to tease
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. staff — a stick
  8. chest — of your body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — child
  12. stem — to come from
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. staff — employees
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. racket — for tennis

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