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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: ball · cold · arm · stem · mug · rash · object · wake

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cold — not warm
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mug — a cup
  6. rash — a series
  7. mug — a face
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stem — to come from
  12. mug — to rob
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. ball — a dance
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — a trail
  22. object — to protest
  23. cold — an illness
  24. object — an aim

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