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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: cap · racket · tube · hide · chest · lash · can · stem

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chest — a box
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. can — a tin
  13. stem — to come from
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. cap — of ice
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cap — a hat
  21. tube — the underground
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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