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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 120 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: stick · squash · lash · leaves · stem · swing · court · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. swing — music
  4. court — of a king
  5. squash — the sport
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. kid — child
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. swing — to play on
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. court — for sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. court — of law
  20. stem — to come from
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. swing — in golf
  24. leaves — to go away

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