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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 120 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: squash · band · arm · craft · deal · cell · mine · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. squash — to crush
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mine — for digging
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. craft — boats
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spell — magic
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cell — a phone
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. cell — in biology
  15. band — a ring
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. spell — a short time
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. craft — a skill
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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