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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.

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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: ruler · ground · row · arm · lean · land · dip · clip

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. clip — a video
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. land — ground
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lean — to bend
  11. clip — to cut
  12. ground — the earth
  13. land — to come down
  14. row — to paddle
  15. land — a country
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. lean — thin
  19. dip — to sink
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. ground — a position
  22. clip — for paper
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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