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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — in cards
  7. band — a music group
  8. tear — from crying
  9. spring — of water
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. hand — help
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. tear — to rip
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. squash — the sport
  17. spring — the season
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. spring — a coil
  22. band — a ring
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. rush — hurry

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