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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: lash · stick · hand · firm · clip · cold · pitcher · stem

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  2. hand — help
  3. stem — to come from
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. firm — steady
  9. firm — decided
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — a video
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. clip — to cut
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. cold — not warm
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. firm — a company
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. cold — an illness
  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