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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: craft · cell · cap · stick · arm · land · hand · temple

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. craft — boats
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. cell — a phone
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cap — a hat
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. land — a country
  14. hand — help
  15. land — ground
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. land — to come down
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cell — in a prison

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