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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.

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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: stem · lash · staff · face · scale · sharp · season · pound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. face — to confront
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. season — of the year
  8. face — to point toward
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. scale — in music
  11. staff — employees
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. pound — a weight
  17. sharp — clever
  18. scale — size or range
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. staff — a stick
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. stem — to come from
  23. face — part of the head
  24. lash — an eyelash

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