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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. prune — to trim
  4. file — a tool
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. file — a line of people
  8. kid — to tease
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. stem — to come from
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. file — a document
  15. kid — child
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cue — for pool
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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