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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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468
Word bank
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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rash — a series
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bass — low music
  9. wound — an injury
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — the fish
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. branch — a division
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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