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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: wave · mug · march · spring · chest · ball · stand · hand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. spring — of water
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. chest — a box
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. chest — of your body
  8. hand — help
  9. stand — to bear
  10. hand — in cards
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. mug — a cup
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spring — the season
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. ball — a great time
  17. mug — a face
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. spring — a coil
  22. ball — a dance
  23. march — the month
  24. mug — to rob

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