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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: bass · kick · leaves · club · wave · press · lash · pound

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. club — for golf
  7. pound — a weight
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kick — in football
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. club — a group
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bass — low music
  15. press — a publisher
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. club — for dancing
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. press — newspapers
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. press — to push
  24. leaves — to go away

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