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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.

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: craft · bass · patient · plane · row · ball · press · racket

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. bass — the fish
  3. craft — boats
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. press — to push
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. craft — a skill
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. row — a line
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. plane — a tool
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. press — newspapers
  22. ball — a dance
  23. row — to paddle
  24. press — a publisher

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