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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 · club · content · calf · kid · stem · fall · chip

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. chip — for betting
  6. club — for golf
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. content — the amount
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. club — a group
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. stem — to come from
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. fall — to drop
  17. chip — to eat
  18. kid — to tease
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. content — happy
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — child
  24. fall — the season

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