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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: stand · cap · bat · bay · roll · lash · trunk · bass

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. roll — a list
  4. bass — low music
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stand — to bear
  13. roll — a cake
  14. cap — of ice
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bat — the animal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. cap — a lid
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stand — for spectators

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