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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 · lash · net · ruler · ground · chest · hide · game

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chest — a box
  3. net — in sport
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. net — for catching
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. game — a match
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chest — of your body
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. chest — of your body
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. stem — to come from
  24. hide — to keep secret

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