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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: bass · pop · craft · rash · rock · row · pitcher · wind

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pop — music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. craft — a skill
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — a line
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bass — low music
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rash — hasty
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pop — soda
  19. rash — a series
  20. craft — boats
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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