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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. firm — a company
  4. row — a line
  5. firm — steady
  6. hand — in cards
  7. firm — decided
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. row — to paddle
  10. present — a gift
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. stem — to come from
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. hand — help
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. present — there
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. present — the time now
  24. stem — a stem cell

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