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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pass · row · present · arm · wound · mine · mouse · squash

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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 — for a computer
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. present — the time now
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — a permit
  13. squash — to crush
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a line
  17. mine — for digging
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mine — an explosive

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