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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: snap · chest · pitcher · can · lash · stick · ground · bulb

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ground — the earth
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bulb — for light
  10. can — to be able to
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. snap — to click
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. ground — a position
  18. can — a tin
  19. bulb — for light
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chest — a box

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