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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: arm · row · mug · snap · bass · spring · rash · scale

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mug — a cup
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rash — hasty
  6. scale — size or range
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spring — the season
  9. snap — to click
  10. spring — of water
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. row — a line
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spring — a coil
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rash — a series
  17. bass — low music
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. mug — to rob
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. mug — a face
  24. scale — in music

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