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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: lash · firm · bat · wake · arm · wound · drill · pitch

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — the tool
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wake — a trail
  12. firm — decided
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. drill — a practice
  15. firm — a company
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. wound — an injury
  19. pitch — completely
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. firm — steady
  23. drill — army training
  24. pitch — a sports field

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