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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. net — in sport
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. net — for catching
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bank — for money
  14. net — after costs
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bank — of a river
  17. chest — a box
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bass — low music
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. plane — a tool
  24. chest — of your body

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