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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: leaves · squash · tear · ball · roll · lie · arm · bulb

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. roll — a cake
  4. tear — from crying
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. squash — the sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ball — a great time
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. squash — to crush
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. roll — a list

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