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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: net · face · coach · cabinet · track · bass · lean · lash

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bass — low music
  3. net — after costs
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — to confront
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. bass — the fish
  14. lean — thin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. net — for catching
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lean — to bend
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. face — part of the head
  23. net — in sport
  24. track — to keep track

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