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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: stem · bulb · sharp · straw · race · hide · jam · lash

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. race — a contest
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bulb — for light
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bulb — for light
  17. race — humankind
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. stem — of a plant

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