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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 120 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: lash · bass · straw · leaves · bowl · charge · race · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bass — low music
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. race — humankind
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. charge — in control
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. march — the month
  15. race — the arms race
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. march — music
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. race — a contest
  21. bass — the fish
  22. charge — a price
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. charge — electricity

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