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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: pound · arm · trunk · foot · charge · wave · wind · spring

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. spring — the season
  3. charge — a price
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — moving air
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. charge — in control
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. charge — electricity
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. pound — a weight
  22. spring — of water
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pound — for dogs

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