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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: bass · staff · arm · cabinet · hand · mouse · lie · field

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. staff — employees
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. staff — employees
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. lie — to recline
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. field — farmland
  23. bass — low music
  24. mouse — for a computer

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