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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · clip · coach · lash · foot · stem · pop · wound

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pop — music
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. clip — a video
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. foot — a measure
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stem — to come from
  21. clip — to cut
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. clip — for paper
  24. coach — a trainer

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