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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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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: saw · mark · kid · squash · lie · arm · spring · rest

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. rest — what's left
  4. kid — child
  5. lie — to recline
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. spring — of water
  11. rest — a break
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kid — to tease
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mark — a trace
  16. spring — the season
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mark — a grade
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lie — an untruth

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