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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · craft · pit · wax · row · ground · arm · straw

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. row — a line
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pit — in a race
  12. ground — crushed
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pit — a hole
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. craft — boats
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ground — a position

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