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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 120 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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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: fall · deal · staff · wound · arm · straw · scale · mug

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. fall — to drop
  5. deal — to handle
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mug — a cup
  8. wound — an injury
  9. scale — in music
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — size or range
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fall — to drop
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fall — the season
  23. mug — a face
  24. arm — a part of something

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