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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 · race · racket · stick · kid · stem · bulb · can

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. can — a tin
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — to tease
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. can — to be able to
  18. kid — child
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. can — a tin
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bulb — for light
  24. racket — for tennis

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