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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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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: bat · lash · toast · stem · pitcher · kick · bass · root

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. toast — bread
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. root — of a word
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bass — low music
  22. root — the cause
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitcher — a jug

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