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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.

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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: wave · rest · spring · game · march · fall · bulb · arm

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. fall — to drop
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. game — wild animals
  5. fall — the season
  6. game — a match
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. fall — to drop
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spring — of water
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. march — music
  19. bulb — for light
  20. march — the month
  21. spring — the season
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. march — the month
  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