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

Word bank: perch · temple · suit · stem · wind · kid · lash · rush

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. wind — moving air
  3. rush — hurry
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. suit — clothes
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. suit — in cards
  12. kid — child
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stem — to come from
  22. wind — moving air
  23. suit — to fit
  24. perch — for a bird

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