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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: stem · hand · kick · band · content · lash · racket · drill

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — the tool
  7. stem — to come from
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. content — happy
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. content — the amount
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. kick — in football
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. drill — army training
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. hand — help
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hand — in cards
  24. band — a ring

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