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

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. charge — a price
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bear — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. land — to come down
  17. charge — in control
  18. land — a country
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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