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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: wind · ruler · leaves · march · net · dip · lash · cell

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. march — the month
  6. net — in sport
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. march — music
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cell — a phone
  15. march — the month
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. net — after costs
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. wind — moving air
  21. net — for catching
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cell — in biology
  24. ruler — for measuring

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