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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: squash · land · plane · spell · arm · bear · ruler · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. spell — letters
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mine — for digging
  19. squash — the sport
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. squash — to crush
  24. plane — a tool

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