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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at 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. fan — a supporter
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. swing — in golf
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. stem — to come from
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. lean — thin
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. swing — music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. swing — to play on
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. squash — to crush
  20. bulb — for light
  21. tube — a container
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stem — of a plant

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