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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: foot · kid · jam · arm · lash · band · patient · toast

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. toast — bread
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. kid — child
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. kid — to tease
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. band — a rubber band

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