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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: arm · file · row · spring · craft · bound · lash · chip

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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. file — a tool
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. file — a document
  6. craft — boats
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. chip — to eat
  11. spring — of water
  12. bound — obliged
  13. row — to paddle
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chip — for betting
  16. spring — a coil
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. bound — tied together
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bound — certain
  24. spring — the season

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