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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 120 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: club · squash · hand · can · row · wind · scale · bass

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bass — low music
  6. can — to be able to
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — help
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. squash — the sport
  12. club — for golf
  13. bass — the fish
  14. hand — in cards
  15. wind — moving air
  16. row — a line
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. can — a tin
  20. club — for dancing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. scale — in music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. club — a group

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