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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
468
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: land · spell · wave · squash · ball · lean · arm · present

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. present — the time now
  4. present — a gift
  5. lean — to bend
  6. land — ground
  7. squash — to crush
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a dance
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. spell — a short time
  14. land — a country
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ball — a great time
  18. present — there
  19. land — to come down
  20. lean — thin
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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