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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · game · arm · wave · bowl · bark · squash · rush

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. rush — hurry
  4. spring — of water
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. game — a match
  12. spring — the season
  13. spring — a coil
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. game — wild animals
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. squash — the sport

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