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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: arm · stick · fan · prune · band · chest · tube · chair

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. band — a music group
  4. prune — to trim
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a ring
  11. prune — to trim
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chest — of your body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chair — a leader
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. chest — a box
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. tube — a container

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