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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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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: wake · lash · firm · arm · game · squash · ground · mug

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. firm — steady
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mug — a face
  5. ground — the earth
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. mug — a cup
  10. ground — a position
  11. firm — decided
  12. ground — crushed
  13. firm — a company
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. squash — to crush
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — a trail
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mug — to rob
  24. game — a match

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