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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: bowl · wound · hand · squash · leaves · stick · wave · arm

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. squash — to crush
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. squash — the sport
  16. wound — an injury
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. hand — help
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. bowl — a football final

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