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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · bass · key · stick · root · row · hand · sharp

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. root — of a plant
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bass — low music
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hand — in cards
  9. key — in music
  10. land — to come down
  11. land — ground
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. row — to paddle
  15. key — for a lock
  16. hand — help
  17. sharp — clever
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. land — a country
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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