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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 120 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: march · calf · cell · stem · lash · rock · wake · bass

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — in biology
  6. bass — low music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. bass — the fish
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — a stone
  16. march — music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. wake — a trail
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. rock — music
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stem — to come from

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