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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: lie · kid · march · stem · lash · dip · hide · chip

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. dip — to sink
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — child
  8. stem — to come from
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. march — the month
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. march — the month
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chip — for betting
  24. stem — of a plant

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