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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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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: chip · hand · wake · staff · arm · straw · bear · wave

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. staff — employees
  3. hand — in cards
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. staff — employees
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bear — the animal
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chip — to eat
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. hand — help
  17. wake — a trail
  18. chip — for betting
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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