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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: row · ruler · bass · stem · lash · march · mug · chest

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. row — a line
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — to paddle
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chest — a box
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mug — a face
  13. march — the month
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mug — to rob
  16. bass — low music
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. march — music
  20. mug — a cup
  21. chest — of your body
  22. march — the month
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. ruler — a monarch

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