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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. stem — to come from
  11. band — a music group
  12. spell — magic
  13. hand — in cards
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. hand — help
  19. spell — a short time
  20. band — a ring
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. jam — a tight spot

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