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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: band · bowl · spring · cue · snap · dip · saw · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cue — for pool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. snap — to click
  11. band — a ring
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. band — a music group
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. saw — the tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. spring — of water
  21. cue — a hint
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. dip — to sink
  24. cue — a signal

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