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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. season — of the year
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bass — the fish
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. plane — a tool
  8. bass — low music
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. swing — to play on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. swing — music
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bound — certain
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. swing — in golf
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. straw — dry grass

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