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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: date · straw · tear · fine · fork · lash · track · stem

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fork — in a road
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. fine — high quality
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — to come from
  15. track — to keep track
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fine — all right
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. track — a path
  21. tear — to rip
  22. date — the fruit
  23. track — a song
  24. lash — to lash out

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