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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
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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: hand · straw · wave · arm · rush · ground · tear · mouse

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. tear — from crying
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. hand — help
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rush — hurry
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hand — part of the body

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