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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: straw · bowl · cabinet · bass · wave · arm · leaves · cell

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cell — a phone
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. bass — low music
  7. cell — in biology
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — the fish
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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