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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: bound · bat · present · row · wave · mine · wake · arm

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. present — the time now
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bound — certain
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. present — a gift
  11. wake — a trail
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. row — to paddle
  21. present — there
  22. row — a line
  23. bound — obliged
  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