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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: last · arm · row · fork · lash · drill · leaves · sharp

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. drill — a practice
  3. row — to paddle
  4. last — finally
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. drill — the tool
  9. last — final
  10. row — a line
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. sharp — clever
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. drill — army training
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. last — to go on
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fork — in a road

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