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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 · nail · cell · march · drill · stem · wax · kid

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. cell — in biology
  3. drill — a practice
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. march — music
  8. drill — the tool
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. wax — to grow
  12. march — the month
  13. cell — a phone
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — child
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. drill — army training
  23. march — the month
  24. stem — to come from

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