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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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Word bank
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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: rash · pitcher · hide · cabinet · arm · lash · field · coach

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. field — farmland
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — hasty
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — a series
  17. field — for sport
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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