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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: ground · bat · cabinet · pound · fork · lash · firm · stem

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. firm — steady
  7. pound — a weight
  8. ground — a position
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. ground — the earth
  17. firm — a company
  18. stem — to come from
  19. firm — decided
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. stem — a stem cell

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