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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: wind · arm · scale · pit · tear · wave · hand · mouse

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — from crying
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. scale — in music
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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