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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: scale · cold · wave · row · stem · lash · bank · cell

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — for money
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bank — for money
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. scale — in music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. row — a line
  17. cell — in biology
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bank — of a river
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. cold — an illness
  22. stem — to come from
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. row — to paddle

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