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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. My father caught me by 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. lie — to recline
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. content — happy
  5. fall — the season
  6. prune — to trim
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. track — a song
  11. fall — to drop
  12. spring — the season
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spring — a coil
  18. content — the amount
  19. fall — to drop
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. spring — of water
  23. track — a path
  24. arm — part of the body

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