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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 120 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: scale · bass · lie · row · saw · patient · fine · lash

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. scale — size or range
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fine — high quality
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. row — a line
  11. fine — all right
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bass — the fish
  14. scale — in music
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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