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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. band — a music group
  3. club — a group
  4. club — for golf
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. band — a ring
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. chip — to eat
  13. kid — child
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. club — for dancing
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. chip — for betting
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. stem — to come from
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. chip — in a computer

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