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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: net · kid · arm · hand · bulb · key · wound · swing

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. kid — child
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bulb — for light
  7. wound — an injury
  8. hand — help
  9. swing — to play on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. net — after costs
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. swing — in golf
  17. net — for catching
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. swing — music
  22. key — the most important part
  23. key — in music
  24. bulb — for light

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