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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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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 · saw · swing · stick · lash · deal · march · leaves

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. march — the month
  5. swing — to play on
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. march — music
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. swing — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. deal — to handle
  15. saw — the tool
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. stem — to come from
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. swing — in golf
  24. saw — the tool

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