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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: row · game · bark · bass · fan · fine · press · arm

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bass — low music
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. press — newspapers
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. press — a publisher
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — a line
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. fine — high quality
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. fine — all right
  17. game — a match
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bark — to shout
  20. row — to paddle
  21. game — wild animals
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. bass — the fish

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