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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: stick · cell · spring · lash · fine · row

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cell — a phone
  6. spring — of water
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fine — all right
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. fine — high quality
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. spring — the season
  18. fine — a penalty

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