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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bank · straw · bass · stand · bound · spring · wave · arm

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. bass — low music
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. spring — the season
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bass — the fish
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — tied together
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bank — for money
  17. bound — certain
  18. bank — for money
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. bank — of a river
  23. spring — of water
  24. wave — of the sea

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