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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: hide · lash · bank · wake · club · bass · foot · lie

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bass — low music
  6. bank — for money
  7. club — a group
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — for golf
  13. bank — for money
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wake — a trail
  19. bass — the fish
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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