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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: lash · stem · lean · rush · fan · wound · court · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. rush — hurry
  4. lean — thin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. stem — to come from
  9. wound — an injury
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. lean — to bend
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — of law
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. hand — help
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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