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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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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 · rule · cell · ball · wake · wave · bark · squash

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. squash — to crush
  3. rule — a law
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wake — a trail
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ball — a great time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rule — government
  13. bark — to shout
  14. squash — the sport
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cell — a phone

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