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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: lean · bulb · fall · arm · object · spring · hand · kid

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. object — to protest
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. hand — in cards
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — a thing
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bulb — for light
  10. kid — to tease
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. spring — of water
  14. object — an aim
  15. fall — the season
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. lean — thin
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bulb — for light
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. kid — child

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