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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: squash · face · pitcher · kid · root · wind · lie · arm

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. squash — the sport
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — part of the head
  10. face — to point toward
  11. kid — child
  12. root — the cause
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. root — of a word
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. root — of a plant
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. face — to confront
  24. kid — to tease

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