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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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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: chest · staff · bulb · firm · bass · last · row · wind

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. firm — a company
  2. staff — employees
  3. bulb — for light
  4. row — to paddle
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. chest — a box
  8. bass — low music
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bass — the fish
  11. firm — steady
  12. firm — decided
  13. last — to go on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chest — of your body
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. staff — employees
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  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