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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: rash · season · kid · lash · leaves · fall · swing · bass

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. rash — hasty
  3. fall — to drop
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — in sport
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. season — of the year
  14. fall — the season
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. rash — a series
  18. swing — to play on
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. swing — music
  23. swing — in golf
  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