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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: wave · rash · track · march · kick · arm · rest · wind

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. rash — hasty
  4. march — music
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rash — a series
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. rest — what's left
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. wind — moving air
  13. track — a song
  14. kick — in football
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — to keep track
  17. rest — what's left
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. rest — a break
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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