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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: bass · arm · bark · hide · drill · board · row · wave

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. board — a committee
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bass — low music
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. drill — the tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a line
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bark — to shout
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. drill — army training
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bass — the fish
  23. wave — with your hand
  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