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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: bass · scale · racket · march · lash · plane · cell · row

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. march — the month
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. scale — size or range
  6. cell — in biology
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cell — a phone
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bass — low music
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. row — to paddle
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the fish
  22. plane — a tool
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. march — music

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