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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: race · kid · stand · lash · hand · content · root · perch

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. race — humankind
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. hand — in cards
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — help
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. content — the amount
  13. kid — to tease
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. root — of a plant
  16. kid — child
  17. perch — the fish
  18. root — the cause
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. race — the arms race
  22. root — of a word
  23. race — a contest
  24. content — videos and posts

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