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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. key — for a lock
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. squash — to crush
  5. spring — the season
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. clip — to cut
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. clip — for paper
  10. key — in music
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. clip — a video
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. key — the most important part
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. spring — of water
  21. mine — for digging
  22. branch — a division
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. squash — the sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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