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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: hand · wind · season · saw · craft · arm · lash · kid

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. kid — child
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. saw — the tool
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. wind — moving air
  10. craft — boats
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. kid — to tease
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. season — in sport
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. craft — a skill
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. saw — the tool

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