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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: last · lash · bass · bulb · pop · scale · foot · land

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. foot — a measure
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pop — to visit
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. pop — music
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. land — ground
  11. last — to go on
  12. land — a country
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. scale — size or range
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. land — to come down
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — in music
  23. pop — soda
  24. bass — the fish

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