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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: fine · net · kid · ground · bore · hand · lash · stem

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. fine — high quality
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ground — the earth
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bore — to drill
  14. net — after costs
  15. ground — a position
  16. kid — to tease
  17. hand — help
  18. net — in sport
  19. ground — crushed
  20. kid — child
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. net — for catching

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