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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 · spring · arm · pop · bat · row · cue · lean

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. row — a line
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bat — the animal
  6. lean — thin
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pop — music
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. spring — the season
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cue — for pool
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. spring — a coil
  21. pop — soda
  22. spring — of water
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wave — with your hand

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