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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: ball · nail · arm · march · land · rule · fork · wave

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rule — a law
  4. march — the month
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. march — music
  8. land — ground
  9. fork — in a road
  10. march — the month
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. land — a country
  20. land — to come down
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rule — government
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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