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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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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: kick · tube · object · lean · rash · squash · game · stem

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. object — to protest
  6. game — a match
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. object — a thing
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rash — hasty
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tube — a container
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stem — to come from
  20. lean — thin
  21. tube — the underground
  22. rash — a series
  23. kick — in football
  24. lean — to bend

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