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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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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: bank · mouse · kick · root · cell · bass · wound · arm

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. root — the cause
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. root — of a word
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bank — for money
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bank — for money
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bass — the fish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bass — low music
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. bank — of a river
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. bass — the instrument

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