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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: squash · racket · stick · arm · wake · deal · root · clip

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. clip — for paper
  4. deal — to handle
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. clip — to cut
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. root — of a word
  18. wake — a trail
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. root — of a plant
  22. clip — a video
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. root — the cause

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