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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: face · squash · arm · content · saw · bulb · trunk · scale

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. squash — to crush
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. scale — in music
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. face — to confront
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. bulb — for light
  13. content — happy
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. saw — the tool
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. scale — size or range
  18. content — the amount
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bulb — for light
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. saw — the tool
  23. face — part of the head
  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