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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: bass · row · wave · race · lash · bore · press · tube

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — to push
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bore — to drill
  8. press — a publisher
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. press — newspapers
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. race — a contest
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. tube — a container

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