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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.

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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 · safe · field · arm · rash · chair · band · face

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — hasty
  13. band — a music group
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. face — to point toward
  17. face — part of the head
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. band — a ring
  20. field — farmland
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. face — to confront
  24. chair — a professorship

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