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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: row · spring · bass · saw · plane · bear · track · squash

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bear — the animal
  3. spring — the season
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — of water
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. row — a line
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bass — low music
  11. track — a song
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — to keep track
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — a path
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. plane — a tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. squash — the sport
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. plane — in geometry

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