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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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: hand · fall · key · arm · squash · row · lean · tube

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. row — a line
  3. key — the most important part
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. hand — in cards
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lean — thin
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. fall — the season
  11. squash — to crush
  12. row — to paddle
  13. key — for a lock
  14. fall — to drop
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. tube — a container
  17. hand — help
  18. key — in music
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. tube — the underground
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fall — to drop
  24. lean — to bend

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