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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: hide · lash · stem · bear · bat · pitcher · clip · can

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bear — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — to come from
  10. clip — a video
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. can — a tin
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bat — the animal
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. can — a tin

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