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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 120 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: cell · board · squash · mark · lash · sharp · spring · kid

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. mark — a grade
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mark — a trace
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — of water
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — child
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. squash — to crush
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cell — in biology
  15. board — to get on
  16. spring — the season
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. sharp — clever
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — to tease
  22. board — a committee
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. board — a flat piece

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