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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: chair · arm · lash · stem · deal · squash · race · sharp

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. sharp — clever
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. race — humankind
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. squash — to crush
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chair — a leader
  20. race — a contest
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — the sport
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. stem — to come from

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