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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 · chest · stand · bowl · game · patient · bass · tear

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. game — a match
  5. chest — of your body
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bass — low music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bass — the fish
  15. stand — to bear
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. chest — a box
  18. tear — from crying
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. tear — from crying
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. lash — to lash out

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