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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: fine · season · leaves · kid · row · wake · track · bass

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. fine — all right
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kid — to tease
  14. track — a song
  15. season — in sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. kid — child
  19. row — a line
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. row — to paddle
  24. wake — before a funeral

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