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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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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 · chair · drill · snap · spring · scale · wave · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — the tool
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chair — a leader
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. spring — the season
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. scale — size or range
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. scale — in music
  16. drill — a practice
  17. snap — to click
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. drill — army training
  24. spring — a coil

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