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

Word bank: wound · lash · craft · shower · row · bass · bay · kid

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bass — low music
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. craft — boats
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. craft — a skill
  12. kid — child
  13. shower — rain
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. shower — to wash
  16. kid — to tease
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. wound — an injury

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