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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: toast · trunk · bass · season · hand · rock · row · pass

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rock — music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bass — low music
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. row — a line
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. row — to paddle
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — in cards
  13. season — in sport
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. toast — bread
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — a permit
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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