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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 120 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 · lash · hand · press · snap · ball · kid · perch

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. press — to push
  3. press — newspapers
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stem — to come from
  7. ball — a great time
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. kid — child
  13. ball — a dance
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. press — a publisher
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. kid — to tease
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. hand — help
  20. snap — to click
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hand — in cards
  24. perch — the fish

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