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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 · spring · stem · scale · march · lash · bound · cell

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stem — to come from
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. march — music
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — of water
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cell — in biology
  16. plane — a tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. march — the month
  19. march — the month
  20. scale — in music
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — size or range

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