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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: firm · trunk · kick · arm · track · game · chest · stem

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. track — a song
  7. firm — steady
  8. chest — of your body
  9. firm — decided
  10. chest — a box
  11. game — wild animals
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. game — a match
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stem — to come from
  18. firm — a company
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — a kind of play

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