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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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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: straw · temple · wake · plane · mine · lash · stem · cell

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. cell — in biology
  10. plane — a tool
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. wake — a trail
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. mine — for digging
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. wake — before a funeral

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