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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 120 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: stem · lean · game · ground · kid · lash · bay · bound

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. game — wild animals
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bound — obliged
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. lean — thin
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bound — certain
  14. bound — tied together
  15. kid — child
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. lean — to bend
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. game — a match
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. kid — to tease
  24. stem — a stem cell

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