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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 120 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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hand — help
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. spring — the season
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. spring — of water
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — decided
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. wake — a trail
  12. firm — steady
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. spring — a coil
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. kid — to tease
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. stand — to bear

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