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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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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: mark · lash · craft · tear · cold · bass · wave · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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 — of the sea
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bass — low music
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — boats
  16. cold — an illness
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — a grade
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. craft — a skill
  24. bass — the fish

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