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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: cue · cell · spring · lash · march · jam · ruler · squash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cue — a signal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. cell — in biology
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. march — music
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. spring — the season
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cue — a hint
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. spring — of water
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. march — the month
  17. march — the month
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. cell — a phone
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — a coil
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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