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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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Word bank
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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: mouse · board · spring · arm · saw · bat · club · snap

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. snap — to click
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — to get on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. club — for dancing
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. bat — the animal
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. spring — a coil
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mouse — the animal

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