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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: date · spring · kid · lash · chip · trunk · stem · drill

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. drill — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. spring — the season
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chip — to eat
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. spring — of water
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. drill — a practice
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — a coil
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stem — to come from
  24. trunk — of a tree

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