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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: arm · fall · row · coach · leaves · lash · cabinet · prune

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fall — to drop
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. prune — to trim
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. row — a line
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. fall — the season
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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