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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: cold · ground · wave · stem · stick · rash · arm · mug

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. mug — a cup
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mug — a face
  9. rash — a series
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mug — to rob
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ground — a position
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cold — not warm
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. rash — on the skin

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