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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — clothes
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. field — a subject
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kid — to tease
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. degree — temperature
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. degree — an amount
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — to come from
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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