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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 120 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: wound · wave · present · season · arm · temple · calf · spring

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. season — of the year
  3. present — the time now
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. present — there
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. season — in sport
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. spring — of water
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. present — a gift
  24. spring — the season

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