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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.

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: plane · fine · cell · game · wave · lash · branch · march

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fine — high quality
  5. march — music
  6. game — a match
  7. plane — a tool
  8. fine — all right
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. branch — a division
  16. cell — in biology
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. march — the month
  19. game — wild animals
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. march — the month
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. plane — in geometry

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