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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: arm · cue · mark · tear · staff · dip · wound · field

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — a signal
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. tear — to rip
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mark — a trace
  11. field — a subject
  12. staff — employees
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — employees
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. cue — a hint
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. mark — a grade
  24. arm — part of the body

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