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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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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: firm · arm · kid · hand · ruler · leaves · net · trunk

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — help
  8. net — for catching
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — to tease
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. firm — a company
  14. kid — child
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. firm — decided
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. net — in sport
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. hand — in cards
  24. firm — steady

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