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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: race · kick · wave · land · drill · lash · calf · stem

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. race — humankind
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. race — the arms race
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. land — ground
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. race — a contest
  15. drill — a practice
  16. drill — army training
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kick — with a leg

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