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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 · foot · march · shower · wave · snap · wake

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. march — the month
  3. rash — hasty
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. snap — to click
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wake — a trail
  12. foot — a measure
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. march — music
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. shower — rain
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. shower — to wash
  24. march — the month

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