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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: date · chair · land · fall · stem · rock · scale · lash

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — a stone
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rock — music
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — the fruit
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. scale — size or range
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. fall — the season
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. chair — a leader
  20. land — a country
  21. land — ground
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. scale — in music
  24. land — to come down

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