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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: chest · band · bay · rash · foot · lash · season · bear

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. season — of the year
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chest — a box
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. band — a music group
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. rash — a series
  18. band — a ring
  19. foot — a measure
  20. chest — of your body
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rash — hasty
  24. season — to add flavour

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