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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: arm · nail · pound · lash · last · chest · tube · craft

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. craft — boats
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. chest — a box
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tube — the underground
  11. last — final
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. pound — a weight
  15. craft — a skill
  16. chest — of your body
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — finally
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. chest — of your body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. tube — a container

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