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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: toast · tear · lash · mate · bass · stem · fan · pitcher

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. stem — to come from
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mate — to breed
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bass — the fish
  14. toast — bread
  15. bass — low music
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stem — of a plant

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