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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: cue · craft · rest · arm · land · mouse · jam · tear

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. cue — for pool
  3. rest — a break
  4. cue — a hint
  5. land — a country
  6. tear — from crying
  7. land — ground
  8. tear — to rip
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. land — to come down
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rest — what's left
  20. cue — a signal
  21. craft — boats
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. tear — from crying

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