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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: scale · chest · wound · stick · bass · bay · row · game

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bass — low music
  3. chest — a box
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. scale — in music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. game — a match
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. bass — the fish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. row — a line
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. wound — an injury
  18. scale — size or range
  19. game — wild animals
  20. chest — of your body
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chest — of your 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