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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 116 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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. band — a ring
  3. stand — to bear
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. wound — an injury
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. bass — the fish
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. band — a music group
  12. squash — to crush
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. squash — the sport
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bass — low music
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. row — to paddle
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. wound — an injury
  24. row — a line

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