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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: arm · cold · roll · racket · craft · pound · lash · rest

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rest — what's left
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cold — not warm
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rest — a break
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. craft — a skill
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. craft — boats
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. cold — an illness
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — a weight
  24. racket — for tennis

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