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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: hide · kick · lash · spell · cell · bass · pitcher · wave

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — low music
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. spell — magic
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. spell — letters
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spell — a short time
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kick — in football
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. hide — to keep secret

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