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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: hand · wave · chip · bear · snap · patient · arm · straw

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — in cards
  15. snap — to click
  16. chip — for betting
  17. hand — help
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wave — with your hand

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