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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: ball · arm · season · cap · lash · nail · current · bark

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — in sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. cap — a hat
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cap — of ice
  14. current — happening now
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. season — of the year
  18. current — electric
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. current — of water
  22. ball — a great time
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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