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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: wave · rush · bulb · saw · mate · shower · sharp · arm

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mate — a friend
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mate — to breed
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. shower — to wash
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. sharp — clever
  12. shower — rain
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mate — a partner
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. saw — the tool
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. rush — hurry
  24. wave — of the sea

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