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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: straw · spring · stem · lash · mug · plane · kick · squash

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. kick — in football
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. spring — of water
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spring — the season
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. stem — to come from
  14. squash — to crush
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mug — to rob
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spring — a coil
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. squash — the sport
  23. plane — a tool
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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