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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: wind · stem · arm · foot · pitcher · lash · clip · bay

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. foot — a measure
  7. stem — to come from
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. clip — to cut
  24. pitcher — a jug

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