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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bank — of a river
  7. kid — to tease
  8. spell — magic
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. stem — to come from
  11. hand — in cards
  12. hand — help
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pit — a hole
  19. kid — child
  20. spell — letters
  21. bank — for money
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bank — for money
  24. lash — to lash out

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