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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: staff · stem · tear · kid · wind · craft · rush · lash

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. tear — to rip
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. stem — to come from
  6. tear — from crying
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wind — moving air
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. staff — employees
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. kid — child
  21. rush — hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. staff — employees

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