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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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468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. fall — the season
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. net — for catching
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — a permit
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. tear — from crying
  13. net — in sport
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. net — after costs
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bass — the fish
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. lash — an eyelash

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