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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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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: ball · pound · tear · club · dip · arm · bear · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tear — from crying
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. tear — to rip
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. bear — the animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pound — a weight
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. pound — for dogs

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