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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: object · arm · bear · fall · bat · land · lash · wave

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. land — to come down
  3. bear — the animal
  4. object — an aim
  5. object — to protest
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. land — ground
  16. bear — the animal
  17. fall — the season
  18. object — a thing
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. land — a country
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. arm — part of the body

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