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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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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: suit · wave · spring · stem · kid · bay · arm · rule

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rule — government
  5. spring — the season
  6. kid — child
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. stem — to come from
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rule — a law
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. spring — a coil
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. spring — of water
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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