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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: squash · date · dip · mouse · stick · arm · cold · stem

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cold — not warm
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. dip — to sink
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. date — the fruit
  7. squash — the sport
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stem — to come from
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. cold — an illness
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. dip — to dunk

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