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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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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 · cabinet · fall · stem · pop · lash · rush · scale

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spring — the season
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rush — hurry
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. stem — to come from
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spring — of water
  14. pop — music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. scale — in music
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. fall — the season
  21. pop — soda
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pop — to visit

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