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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held 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. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. root — of a plant
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — help
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. prune — to trim
  19. root — of a word
  20. chair — a leader
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. root — the cause
  24. chair — a professorship

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