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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: bulb · mouse · cabinet · fork · arm · face · spell · kid

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. face — part of the head
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. face — to confront
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spell — magic
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kid — child
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spell — letters
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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