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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. plane — a tool
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. bass — low music
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pitcher — a jug

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