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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. file — a tool
  7. bass — the fish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. bank — for money
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. rash — a series
  12. row — a line
  13. rash — hasty
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bank — for money
  16. wound — an injury
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. file — a document
  19. wound — an injury
  20. ball — a dance
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bass — low music
  24. file — a line of people

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