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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: cap · kid · rest · lash · arm · wound · track · row

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cap — a lid
  4. track — a song
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. row — a line
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. rest — a break
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — a hat
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. kid — to tease
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. cap — of ice
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. track — a path

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