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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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468
Word bank
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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. kid — to tease
  3. chair — a leader
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. kid — child
  7. stem — to come from
  8. fine — all right
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. fine — high quality
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. row — a line
  24. chair — a professorship

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