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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: cap · bass · lash · march · rock · season · trunk · patient

  1. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. cap — a hat
  6. march — the month
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. rock — a stone
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rock — music
  14. bass — low music
  15. cap — a lid
  16. season — of the year
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cap — of ice
  23. march — music
  24. bass — the fish

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