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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. band — a music group
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pass — a permit
  11. kick — in football
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. band — a ring
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — hurry
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stem — to come from

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