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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
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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: deal · squash · spell · cold · land · bear · current · arm

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. squash — to crush
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. land — ground
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. spell — a short time
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. squash — the sport
  9. current — happening now
  10. spell — magic
  11. land — a country
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. land — to come down
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bear — the animal
  18. current — of water
  19. bear — the animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. spell — letters
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. current — electric

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