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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. band — a ring
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. branch — a division
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. band — a music group
  18. kid — child
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. saw — the tool
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. saw — the tool

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