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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: row · content · bass · lash · roll · mark · rest · field

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. content — happy
  4. field — for sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. content — the amount
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. roll — a cake
  14. mark — a trace
  15. rest — what's left
  16. roll — a list
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. rest — a break
  19. field — a subject
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. field — farmland
  24. rest — what's left

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