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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: bass · mine · bowl · track · plane · foot · row · capital

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. row — to paddle
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. foot — a measure
  5. track — to keep track
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bass — low music
  12. track — a path
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. capital — money
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. row — a line
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a city
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. mine — for digging
  23. bass — the fish
  24. foot — the bottom

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