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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: drill · fork · stem · court · last · squash · bear · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. drill — a practice
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. drill — army training
  5. stem — to come from
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. last — finally
  12. bear — the animal
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. last — final
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. squash — the sport
  19. court — of law
  20. last — to go on
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — for sport
  24. bear — to put up with

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