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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pound — a weight
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. kid — child
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bass — low music
  21. branch — a division
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. kid — to tease
  24. lash — to lash out

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