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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: pitch · lash · wound · shower · bass · last · arm · bound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. last — finally
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bound — certain
  10. bass — low music
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bound — obliged
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. last — to go on
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. shower — to wash
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. last — final

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