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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: row · arm · prune · stand · stem · wind · hand · firm

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. wind — moving air
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. firm — decided
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. firm — steady
  12. hand — help
  13. row — a line
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. wind — moving air
  20. firm — a company
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. stand — to bear
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. row — to paddle

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