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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: arm · rash · roll · pass · wave · wind · tear · ruler

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — a series
  8. tear — from crying
  9. roll — a list
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tear — from crying
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. roll — a cake
  18. tear — to rip
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wind — moving air
  24. roll — on a roll

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