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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: kid · mark · scale · chest · wave · arm · season · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — of the year
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — a box
  7. chest — of your body
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mark — a grade
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. mark — a trace
  19. scale — in music
  20. scale — size or range
  21. kid — child
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. season — in sport
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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