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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: cold · wind · lash · ball · leaves · stem · cue · hand

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cue — a hint
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a great time
  12. hand — in cards
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cold — an illness
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. hand — help
  21. cue — a signal
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cue — for pool

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