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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spring · straw · spell · march · land · squash · stem · lash

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. spell — magic
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — the sport
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. land — ground
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. squash — to crush
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spring — of water
  14. stem — to come from
  15. march — music
  16. land — a country
  17. spring — the season
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. march — the month
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. spring — a coil
  22. spell — a short time
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. stem — of a plant

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