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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 120 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 · cell · last · coach · hide · sharp · bass · bound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. last — to go on
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. cell — a phone
  6. last — finally
  7. bound — certain
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — low music
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. last — final
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. cell — in biology
  19. bound — tied together
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bass — the fish
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bound — obliged

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