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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.

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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: wave · bear · ball · bass · drill · fine · pop · row

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. pop — to visit
  6. drill — a practice
  7. row — a line
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pop — music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. fine — all right
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. ball — a dance
  24. drill — army training

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