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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · lash · chip · club · lean · stem

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — for dancing
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. stem — to come from
  8. chip — for betting
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. chip — to eat
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. club — a group
  18. stem — of a plant

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