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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
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: charge · band · wave · season · staff · arm · foot · cold

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. cold — an illness
  5. band — a music group
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. band — a ring
  10. season — of the year
  11. staff — a stick
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. staff — employees
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. foot — a measure
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cold — not warm
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. charge — electricity
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. season — in sport
  23. charge — in control
  24. staff — employees

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