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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fall · can · mug · bass · row · race · snap · bound

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mug — a cup
  4. race — the arms race
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. fall — the season
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. fall — to drop
  9. race — humankind
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. can — a tin
  12. row — a line
  13. row — to paddle
  14. snap — to click
  15. bass — low music
  16. fall — to drop
  17. race — a contest
  18. can — a tin
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bound — certain
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bass — the fish
  24. mug — a face

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