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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: club · cap · mate · row · lash · bass · bowl · land

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. mate — a partner
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bass — low music
  7. mate — to breed
  8. club — a group
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. row — to paddle
  13. club — for golf
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. row — a line
  16. land — a country
  17. cap — a hat
  18. bass — the fish
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. mate — a friend
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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