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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 120 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: mate · land · arm · patient · wave · leaves · bat · board

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bat — the animal
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. land — to come down
  7. mate — a partner
  8. land — a country
  9. mate — to breed
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — ground
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. board — a committee
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. board — to get on
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. arm — a part of something

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