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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: wound · mark · fall · arm · cue · bear · net · jam

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mark — a trace
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — after costs
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cue — for pool
  14. fall — to drop
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. mark — a grade
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. net — for catching
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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