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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: cabinet · court · bay · lash · kid · lean · stem · land

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. stem — to come from
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. court — of a king
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — to tease
  18. land — ground
  19. kid — child
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. land — to come down
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. court — of law
  24. land — a country

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