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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
468
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: arm · clip · squash · scale · calf · stand · root · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. root — of a word
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. clip — a video
  17. clip — to cut
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stand — to bear
  21. scale — in music
  22. clip — for paper
  23. root — the cause
  24. squash — to crush

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