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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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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. roll — a cake
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bear — the animal
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. clip — for paper
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bank — for money
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bank — of a river
  20. roll — a list
  21. bank — for money
  22. suit — to fit
  23. bear — the animal
  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