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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
468
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: bowl · season · row · squash · bass · rash · patient · chest

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — a series
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. squash — to crush
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bass — the fish
  8. chest — of your body
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. squash — the sport
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. row — a line
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — of the year
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. chest — a box
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. rash — hasty
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. row — to paddle
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. season — in sport

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