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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
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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: last · row · march · tube · mug · arm · bass · calf

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — to go on
  7. march — music
  8. last — finally
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. last — final
  12. mug — a cup
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. row — to paddle
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. row — a line
  20. tube — the underground
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — a container
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. march — the month

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