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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: content · arm · row · bass · lean · jam · date · shower

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — the fish
  6. row — to paddle
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — the amount
  13. shower — rain
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bass — low music
  17. shower — to wash
  18. date — the fruit
  19. lean — to bend
  20. lean — thin
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. row — a line

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