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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: squash · dip · sharp · arm · trunk · tear · cabinet · rush

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. squash — the sport
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. rush — hurry
  8. tear — from crying
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. dip — to sink
  14. tear — to rip
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. sharp — clever
  22. squash — to crush
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tear — from crying

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