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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: stem · wound · deal · leaves · pitcher · arm · saw · fan

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. deal — to handle
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. wound — an injury
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. fan — to cool the air

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