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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: lie · mate · current · field · stem · bowl · stick · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. mate — a friend
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. field — for sport
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mate — a partner
  14. field — a subject
  15. current — of water
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. current — happening now
  19. lie — to recline
  20. current — electric
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. field — farmland
  24. mate — to breed

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