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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: bass · fan · bulb · pass · band · saw · row · arm

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bass — low music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. pass — a permit
  8. row — a line
  9. band — a music group
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bulb — for light
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. band — a ring
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. row — a quarrel

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