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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: bass · lash · rash · toast · bear · stand · land · tear

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. tear — from crying
  5. land — to come down
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. toast — bread
  11. bass — low music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. land — ground
  14. bass — the fish
  15. rash — a series
  16. tear — from crying
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. rash — hasty
  19. stand — to bear
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bear — the animal
  23. land — a country
  24. lash — to lash out

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