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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: net · bass · hand · tube · arm · ball · row · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a great time
  5. hand — help
  6. net — for catching
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — in cards
  9. row — a line
  10. tube — a container
  11. net — in sport
  12. club — for golf
  13. ball — a dance
  14. row — to paddle
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bass — low music
  19. tube — the underground
  20. net — after costs
  21. bass — the fish
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. bass — the instrument

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