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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 116 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: row · pitcher · stem · trunk · lash · wave · kick · mug

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. mug — a cup
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stem — to come from
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a face
  8. kick — in football
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. row — a line
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. row — to paddle
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. mug — to rob
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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