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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: bass · chip · band · chair · spring · mouse · row · arm

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. spring — a coil
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chair — a leader
  5. spring — of water
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. spring — the season
  10. chip — to eat
  11. row — a line
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a music group
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. band — a ring
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. row — to paddle
  24. bass — low music

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