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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: ruler · toast · mug · pit · bank · bass · fall · lash

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mug — a cup
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bank — for money
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. toast — bread
  11. fall — the season
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. pit — a hole
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bass — low music
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mug — a face
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. bank — of a river
  22. mug — to rob
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fall — to drop

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