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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: content · fall · kick · stem · pitcher · swing · lash · bore

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. content — happy
  3. bore — to tire
  4. stem — to come from
  5. fall — the season
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. content — the amount
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. swing — to play on
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. fall — to drop
  22. swing — music
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. bore — gave birth

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