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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pop — music
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pop — to visit
  9. spell — letters
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. wound — an injury
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pop — soda
  14. perch — the fish
  15. saw — the tool
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. spell — a short time
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. spell — magic
  20. stem — to come from
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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