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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. game — a match
  6. wound — an injury
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — wild animals
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. arm — a part of something

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