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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: leaves · cold · present · arm · shower · wave · rush · bear

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. cold — an illness
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — rain
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — the animal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. present — there
  21. present — a gift
  22. rush — hurry
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. present — the time now

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