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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: lash · bat · prune · straw · cell · kid · foot · suit

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. suit — clothes
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cell — a phone
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. foot — a measure
  10. cell — in biology
  11. kid — child
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — in cards
  14. bat — the animal
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. prune — to trim
  19. suit — to fit
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bat — in an idiom

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