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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. pop — music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. drill — army training
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cell — a phone
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cell — in biology
  14. pop — soda
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pop — to visit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. arm — part of the 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