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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: march · tear · stick · wind · fine · lash · saw · stem

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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. march — music
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. tear — from crying
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. fine — high quality
  8. march — the month
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. tear — to rip
  13. wind — moving air
  14. fine — all right
  15. stem — to come from
  16. march — the month
  17. tear — from crying
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. wind — to turn a key
  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