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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: lash · foot · row · coach · hand · arm · dip · band

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. band — a ring
  5. foot — a measure
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. row — to paddle
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. band — a music group
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. row — a line
  22. dip — to sink
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. foot — part of the body

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