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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · band · leaves · mug · rest · straw

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. net — for catching
  3. mug — a face
  4. rest — what's left
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rest — what's left
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. net — after costs
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a music group

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