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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. band — a music group
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. net — after costs
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. net — for catching
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. band — a ring
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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