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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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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: lash · bay · band · bat · arm · last · tear · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a music group
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. tear — from crying
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. last — finally
  9. tear — to rip
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. last — final
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. band — a ring
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — to go on
  24. tear — from crying

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