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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: bass · rest · row · land · spring · squash · wave · trunk

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. bass — low music
  6. land — ground
  7. row — to paddle
  8. land — a country
  9. squash — to crush
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bass — the fish
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. spring — a coil
  17. row — a line
  18. spring — of water
  19. land — to come down
  20. spring — the season
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. squash — the sport
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. squash — the vegetable

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