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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.

Make a worksheet

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: net · arm · wound · root · scale · last · squash · chair

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. net — in sport
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. net — for catching
  9. root — the cause
  10. last — to go on
  11. net — after costs
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. root — of a plant
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. scale — in music
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. chair — a leader
  20. scale — size or range
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. last — final
  24. root — of a word

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