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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: arm · wave · swing · rest · tube · bulb · straw · nail

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. swing — in golf
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — the underground
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. rest — what's left
  18. swing — music
  19. rest — a break
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bulb — for light
  23. swing — to play on
  24. tube — a container

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