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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 120 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: bat · wake · bass · bowl · lash · key · scale · tear

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. key — in music
  9. bass — low music
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. key — the most important part
  13. scale — in music
  14. tear — to rip
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wake — a trail
  19. scale — size or range
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bass — the fish
  22. tear — from crying
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. key — for a lock

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