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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: foot · lash · row · hand · dip · lie · arm · wind

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. dip — to sink
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wind — moving air
  16. hand — help
  17. wind — moving air
  18. row — to paddle
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hand — in cards
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. row — a quarrel

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