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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. stem — to come from
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. can — a tin
  23. kick — in football
  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