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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. chair — a leader
  7. scale — size or range
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. branch — a division
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — in music

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