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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: plane · fork · temple · lash · squash · march · cell · board

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. board — a committee
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. cell — a phone
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. march — the month
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. fork — in a road
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. plane — a tool
  19. march — music
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. squash — the sport
  22. board — to get on
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. cell — in biology

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