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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. swing — to play on
  3. swing — music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — to confront
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. swing — in golf
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. saw — the tool
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. plane — a tool
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. face — part of the head

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