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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: suit · root · kid · arm · lash · straw · chest · row

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. suit — in cards
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. row — to paddle
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. root — of a word
  10. root — the cause
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. suit — to fit
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. kid — child
  15. chest — a box
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. suit — clothes
  19. row — a line
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. chest — of your body
  24. root — of a plant

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