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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. squash — the sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spring — of water
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bulb — for light
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tear — from crying
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bulb — for light
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. spring — the season
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tear — to rip
  20. perch — the fish
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — animal skin

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