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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: straw · face · lash · hide · ruler · squash · staff · stem

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. squash — the vegetable
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. face — to point toward
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. staff — a stick
  13. stem — to come from
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. face — to confront
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. squash — to crush
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. face — part of the head
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. stem — of a plant
  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