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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: chip · lash · stem · mug · roll · march · rest · board

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. march — the month
  4. roll — a list
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rest — a break
  9. mug — to rob
  10. board — to get on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rest — what's left
  14. stem — to come from
  15. roll — a cake
  16. march — music
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mug — a face
  19. chip — for betting
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — to eat
  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