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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: spell · stem · fork · trunk · swing · kid · racket · lash

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. swing — in golf
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. fork — in a road
  10. stem — to come from
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — to tease
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. swing — to play on
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. swing — music
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spell — a short time

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