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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stem · bark · march · mine · hide · lash · bat · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stem — to come from
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. march — the month
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. march — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bark — to shout
  24. hide — animal skin

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