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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: wind · tube · lash · perch · deal · sharp · stem · dip

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. deal — to handle
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. perch — the fish
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. tube — the underground
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. dip — to sink
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. sharp — clever
  19. stem — to come from
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. tube — a container

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