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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: bay · bass · saw · row · land · hand · leaves · present

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. land — a country
  4. row — to paddle
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. present — the time now
  8. land — ground
  9. present — there
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bass — low music
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bass — the fish
  16. hand — in cards
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. row — a line
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — a gift
  23. hand — help
  24. bay — a horse colour

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