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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.

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: ground · can · tube · season · cell · toast · bat · lash

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. cell — a phone
  4. ground — a position
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. can — a tin
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. season — of the year
  11. ground — the earth
  12. can — to be able to
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cell — in biology
  17. toast — bread
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. season — in sport
  22. can — a tin
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. cell — in a prison

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