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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: roll · trunk · mug · game · wave · fan · board · arm

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. board — to get on
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. mug — a face
  13. game — a match
  14. mug — a cup
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. board — a committee
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. game — wild animals
  23. roll — a list
  24. fan — a supporter

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