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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: track · row · fall · squash · wave · bass · bay · straw

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. squash — to crush
  4. row — to paddle
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. track — a song
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bass — low music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. fall — to drop
  14. fall — the season
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bass — the fish
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fall — to drop
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. track — a path
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. row — a line
  24. squash — the 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