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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 · stem · race · chair · present · hide · dip · clip

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stem — to come from
  5. present — the time now
  6. chair — a leader
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. dip — to sink
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — a contest
  15. clip — a video
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. race — humankind
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. clip — to cut
  22. present — a gift
  23. present — there
  24. clip — for paper

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