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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fine — high quality
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tear — from crying
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. field — a subject
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fine — all right
  14. tear — to rip
  15. spell — magic
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. prune — to trim
  19. field — farmland
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. field — for sport
  23. tear — from crying
  24. leaves — to go away

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