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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: wake · patient · kid · stem · lash · kick · rest · leaves

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rest — a break
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — in football
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — to come from
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — what's left
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wake — a trail
  24. patient — a sick person

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