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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. swing — in golf
  8. spring — the season
  9. swing — music
  10. row — a line
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — the arms race
  13. swing — to play on
  14. prune — to trim
  15. spring — a coil
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. spring — of water
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. prune — to trim
  23. race — humankind
  24. race — a contest

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