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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: stem · squash · cue · clip · spell · arm · lash · wave

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. cue — for pool
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. spell — magic
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. clip — for paper
  11. squash — the sport
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. clip — a video
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. clip — to cut
  18. spell — letters
  19. cue — a signal
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cue — a hint
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stem — of a plant

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