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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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 — past of 'wind'
  3. date — the fruit
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rash — hasty
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. fall — to drop
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rash — a series
  24. bear — to put up with

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