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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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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: row · pound · saw · bass · arm · wake · patient · race

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. row — a line
  3. race — the arms race
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bass — low music
  10. saw — the tool
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. saw — the tool
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — a contest
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. arm — part of the body

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