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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.

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: wave · cabinet · clip · temple · arm · season · saw · bark

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — for paper
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. clip — a video
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — to shout
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. season — of the year
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. arm — a part of something

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