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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · cue · arm · spring · bass · kid · wake · field

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. file — a document
  3. cue — a hint
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. file — a tool
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bass — low music
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. spring — the season
  12. field — a subject
  13. bass — the fish
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cue — a signal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. field — for sport
  19. wake — a trail
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. field — farmland
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. kid — to tease

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