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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: leaves · court · bay · toast · ground · lash · rush · tear

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. rush — hurry
  10. toast — bread
  11. tear — to rip
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. court — of law
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. tear — from crying
  16. court — for sport
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. ground — a position
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. tear — from crying
  24. court — of a king

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