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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bat — the animal
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. can — a tin
  5. bulb — for light
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. suit — clothes
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. stem — to come from
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. perch — the fish
  16. suit — to fit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bulb — for light
  19. suit — in cards
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. can — to be able to
  22. can — a tin
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bat — for baseball

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