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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · fan · bound · season · chair · wave · march · clip

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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. season — in sport
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. march — music
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bound — tied together
  11. clip — for paper
  12. season — of the year
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. bound — certain
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bound — obliged
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. clip — a video
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. march — the month
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. march — the month
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. clip — to cut

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