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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: chair · lash · toast · shower · stem · content · rash · snap

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. chair — a leader
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. content — the amount
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. snap — to click
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. content — happy
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. rash — hasty
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. shower — to wash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. shower — rain
  20. toast — bread
  21. stem — to come from
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. content — videos and posts

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