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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: kid · row · lash · land · key · trunk · mine · bass

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. kid — to tease
  5. key — the most important part
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a line
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. land — ground
  15. land — a country
  16. key — in music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. bass — low music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. kid — child
  22. land — to come down
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mine — for digging

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