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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · dip · band · season · snap · arm

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. 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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cell — a phone
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. band — a ring
  11. cell — in biology
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. band — a music group
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. 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