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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 116 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: march · mark · stem · track · dip · lash · last · board

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. track — a path
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — to sink
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. stem — to come from
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. last — to go on
  10. march — the month
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. track — a song
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. march — music
  22. board — to get on
  23. last — finally
  24. mark — a trace

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