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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wound — an injury
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — the season
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. spring — of water
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — for digging
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spring — a coil
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. stand — to bear
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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