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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: stock · cell · calf · wound · jam · land · chest · arm

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. land — to come down
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. land — a country
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wound — an injury
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stock — goods
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stock — shares
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — ground
  24. chest — of your body

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