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

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bass — low music
  7. scale — in music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. scale — size or range
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. stock — shares
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rash — hasty
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stock — goods
  21. rash — a series
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. row — a line
  24. mouse — the animal

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