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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 120 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: wound · wake · bowl · fall · deal · kid · arm · stick

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. deal — to handle
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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