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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: march · roll · cabinet · lie · net · stem · spell · lash

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. spell — magic
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. stem — to come from
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — after costs
  11. march — the month
  12. roll — a list
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. roll — a cake
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spell — letters
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. spell — a short time

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