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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 116 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 · bowl · pop · chair · cabinet · row · lean · cell

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pop — music
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cell — a phone
  9. lean — to bend
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bass — low music
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. row — a line
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pop — soda
  24. chair — a professorship

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