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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: row · mug · lash · season · drill · pitcher · bank · bass

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bank — for money
  4. mug — a face
  5. bass — low music
  6. season — of the year
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. row — a line
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. drill — a practice
  19. bank — for money
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — in sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bass — the fish

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