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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: arm · cabinet · scale · wave · foot · roll · lean · cold

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. lean — thin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cold — not warm
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. lean — to bend
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. roll — a list
  20. cold — an illness
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. roll — a cake
  24. wave — with your hand

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