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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 116 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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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: lash · pitcher · snap · pound · bass · bay · tube · row

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. row — a line
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bass — low music
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — to paddle
  16. tube — a container
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bass — the fish
  23. pound — a weight
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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