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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: cue · kid · spell · arm · wave · wind · season · current

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. kid — child
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. spell — letters
  7. wind — moving air
  8. current — happening now
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spell — magic
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. current — electric
  19. spell — a short time
  20. season — of the year
  21. current — of water
  22. cue — for pool
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. arm — 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