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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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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fall — the season
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — of water
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. fall — to drop
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. cell — a phone
  10. current — electric
  11. spring — the season
  12. present — there
  13. rush — hurry
  14. cell — in biology
  15. present — a gift
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. current — of water
  19. present — the time now
  20. fall — to drop
  21. current — happening now
  22. spring — a coil
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — in a prison

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