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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 · stem · pound · sharp · wake · wind · lash · dip

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. dip — to sink
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wind — moving air
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. sharp — clever
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. stem — to come from
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. arm — 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