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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. cue — a hint
  3. wound — an injury
  4. clip — to cut
  5. wound — an injury
  6. clip — for paper
  7. bank — of a river
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. drill — a practice
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. drill — the tool
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cue — for pool
  17. clip — a video
  18. drill — army training
  19. cue — a signal
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. foot — a measure
  24. spell — magic

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