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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.

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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 · row · wake · kick · object · rule · cap · bank

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. object — an aim
  4. row — a line
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wake — a trail
  10. rule — a law
  11. bank — for money
  12. kick — in football
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. object — to protest
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. cap — a hat
  18. row — to paddle
  19. bank — for money
  20. object — a thing
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bass — low music
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rule — government

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