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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: pound · file · lash · bass · game · bear · sharp · can

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the fish
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — a match
  7. bear — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. pound — a weight
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. can — to be able to
  14. file — a line of people
  15. game — wild animals
  16. file — a document
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. can — a tin
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a tool

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