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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 · degree · rest · march · wave · jam · hand · mouse

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. march — the month
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. degree — an amount
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. march — the month
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. hand — help
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rest — a break
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rest — what's left
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. march — music
  23. degree — temperature
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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