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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: pound · stem · scale · content · coach · lash · march · ground

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. ground — a position
  5. march — music
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stem — to come from
  10. content — the amount
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. ground — crushed
  13. march — the month
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. content — happy
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. march — the month
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. scale — in music
  23. ground — the earth
  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