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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: ground · arm · cold · wound · wave · stick · season · spring

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. ground — the earth
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. cold — not warm
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. season — in sport
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spring — of water
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — a position
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cold — an illness
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. spring — a coil
  21. ground — crushed
  22. spring — the season
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. season — of the year

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