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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: leaves · wave · bat · ground · fork · arm · shower · ball

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. shower — rain
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bat — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ball — a great time
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ground — the earth
  17. ground — a position
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ball — a dance

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