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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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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: lash · hide · march · suit · stick · cell · drill · nail

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. march — the month
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — music
  7. drill — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. march — the month
  11. suit — in cards
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cell — in biology
  16. suit — clothes
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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