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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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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: lash · arm · firm · cap · wave · club · stem · cold

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. stem — to come from
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. firm — steady
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cap — a lid
  19. firm — a company
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. club — a group
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. firm — decided
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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