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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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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: pound · tear · row · hide · bass · content · swing · wake

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pound — a weight
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. content — the amount
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. swing — in golf
  9. content — happy
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. tear — to rip
  16. swing — music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tear — from crying
  20. bass — the fish
  21. row — a line
  22. bass — low music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. swing — to play on

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