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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: bulb · chair · deal · row · rock · staff · wake · bass

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — employees
  3. row — to paddle
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. bass — low music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rock — a stone
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. rock — music
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bulb — for light
  14. row — a line
  15. chair — a leader
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bass — the fish
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bulb — for light

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