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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: lash · bass · toast · mouse · field · mug · club · fall

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. club — for golf
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. mug — a cup
  10. field — for sport
  11. bass — the fish
  12. mug — a face
  13. field — farmland
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. toast — bread
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — a group
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bass — low music
  21. field — a subject
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mouse — for a computer

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