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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: bowl · arm · cap · cold · wound · stick · pop · prune

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cap — a lid
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cold — an illness
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pop — music
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cold — not warm
  20. prune — to trim
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pop — soda
  24. cap — a hat

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