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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: bass · kid · lash · cap · wound · season · object · fine

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. object — to protest
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — all right
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bass — the fish
  11. object — a thing
  12. kid — child
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. object — an aim
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. season — of the year
  19. fine — high quality
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. kid — to tease
  23. wound — an injury
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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