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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: ground · staff · stem · drill · bat · roll · hide · lash

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. roll — a list
  9. ground — a position
  10. drill — a practice
  11. ground — crushed
  12. roll — a cake
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. staff — employees
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — a stick
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — the animal
  21. drill — army training
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ground — the earth

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