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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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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: stand · pop · mug · cell · hide · lash · stem · club

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. pop — soda
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. mug — a face
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pop — to visit
  14. club — for golf
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. cell — a phone
  17. club — a group
  18. stem — to come from
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. pop — music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hide — to keep secret

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