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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bank — for money
  3. row — a line
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. squash — to crush
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. land — a country
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. deal — to handle
  15. wound — an injury
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wound — an injury
  19. row — to paddle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. squash — the sport
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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