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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: stem · file · clip · hide · kid · lash · pitcher · last

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. stem — to come from
  8. file — a line of people
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — finally
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. last — final
  14. clip — for paper
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. kid — child
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. kid — to tease
  24. file — a document

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