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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 124 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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. pound — a weight
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. hand — help
  6. kick — in football
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. stem — to come from
  12. scale — in music
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bank — of a river
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. hand — in cards
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bank — for money

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