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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: ground · net · tear · content · bass · coach · toast · lash

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. content — the amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. content — happy
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. tear — to rip
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. ground — the earth
  17. toast — bread
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bass — low music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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