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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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 — a whip stroke
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kid — to tease
  4. plane — a tool
  5. kid — child
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. shower — to wash
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rush — hurry
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. shower — rain
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. march — the month
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lash — to lash out
  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