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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: row · wound · craft · fan · arm · ground · chair · bass

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chair — a leader
  5. ground — the earth
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. wound — an injury
  11. row — a line
  12. bass — low music
  13. craft — boats
  14. wound — an injury
  15. ground — a position
  16. craft — a skill
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. row — to paddle
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. fan — a supporter

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