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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: arm · last · press · lash · hand · wave · pop · spell

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. hand — help
  3. spell — magic
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pop — to visit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. pop — music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. last — finally
  15. spell — a short time
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. press — to push
  18. last — to go on
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. press — newspapers
  21. spell — letters
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pop — soda
  24. hand — 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