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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: calf · stem · lash · wind · kid · fine · march · toast

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stem — to come from
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wind — moving air
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. wind — moving air
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kid — child
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. march — the month
  24. lash — an eyelash

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