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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 116 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: present · hand · bass · dip · leaves · ball · field · lash

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. dip — to sink
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. field — a subject
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. present — a gift
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. hand — in cards
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. present — there
  16. ball — a great time
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — help
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. field — for sport
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bass — low music
  24. present — the time now

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