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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. scale — in music
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bulb — for light
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. scale — size or range
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wound — an injury

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