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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: club · march · arm · straw · wave · kid · scale · track

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — for golf
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. scale — size or range
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. track — a song
  10. march — music
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. scale — in music
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. kid — to tease
  15. march — the month
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. track — a path
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. club — a group
  22. club — for dancing
  23. arm — a part of something
  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