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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cabinet · pitcher · swing · bass · plane · mine · date

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bass — low music
  4. date — the fruit
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mine — for digging
  9. bass — the fish
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. plane — a tool
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. swing — in golf
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. row — to paddle
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. row — a line

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