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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: march · leaves · saw · bass · wound · lash · stem · patient

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bass — low music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. march — music
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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