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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: stem · kick · present · wound · cabinet · rash · coach · lash

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — to come from
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. present — a gift
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. present — the time now
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — in football
  23. present — there
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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