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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pound — a weight
  3. last — finally
  4. bass — the fish
  5. degree — from a university
  6. swing — to play on
  7. degree — temperature
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stem — to come from
  14. degree — an amount
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. last — final
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — music
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. row — a line
  23. bass — low music
  24. swing — in golf

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