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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 120 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: stem · saw · snap · arm · cold · lash · rock · rest

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. rest — what's left
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. saw — the tool
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. saw — the tool
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. snap — to click
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. cold — not warm
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rest — a break
  17. rock — a stone
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. stem — to come from
  20. cold — an illness
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rock — music
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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