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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · lie · season · lash · tube · bass · tear · bay

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bass — low music
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. tube — a container
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. season — of the year
  10. can — a tin
  11. lie — to recline
  12. can — to be able to
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bass — the fish
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. can — a tin
  21. tear — to rip
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. season — in sport
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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