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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. bass — the fish
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a document
  9. bass — low music
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lean — thin
  12. file — a tool
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lean — to bend
  15. stand — to bear
  16. tube — a container
  17. bound — certain
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bound — tied together
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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