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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: arm · staff · squash · saw · fall · can · clip · racket

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fall — to drop
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fall — the season
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. staff — employees
  9. squash — to crush
  10. can — to be able to
  11. clip — to cut
  12. squash — the sport
  13. saw — the tool
  14. can — a tin
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. fall — to drop
  17. clip — for paper
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. staff — employees
  22. can — a tin
  23. saw — the tool
  24. clip — a video

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