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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. current — of water
  12. clip — to cut
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. wake — a trail
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. clip — a video
  18. current — electric
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. current — happening now
  21. stem — to come from
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. clip — for paper

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