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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 120 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: chip · bat · wave · rock · object · shower · arm · spring

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. spring — of water
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. shower — to wash
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. chip — to eat
  9. object — a thing
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. shower — rain
  14. spring — the season
  15. rock — a stone
  16. object — an aim
  17. bat — the animal
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. object — to protest
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spring — a coil

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