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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: arm · squash · lash · hand · present · roll · stick · chest

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. present — a gift
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. chest — a box
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. present — there
  12. squash — the sport
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. hand — help
  15. roll — a cake
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. present — the time now
  20. roll — a list
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. squash — to crush
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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