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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.

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: bass · wind · march · pitcher · row · present · lash · fine

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bass — the fish
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. row — a line
  15. fine — all right
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. present — the time now
  19. fine — high quality
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. present — a gift
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. present — there
  24. wind — moving air

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