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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: hand · stick · craft · saw · wave · date · arm · swing

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — the fruit
  6. craft — boats
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. hand — help
  9. swing — music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hand — in cards
  14. saw — the tool
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. swing — to play on
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. hand — 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