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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: lean · lash · cell · bear · bass · wound · nail · fall

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fall — to drop
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bear — the animal
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. fall — the season
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lean — to bend
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. fall — to drop
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. lean — thin
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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