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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 116 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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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: court · leaves · straw · band · rock · pop · pitcher · saw

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. band — a ring
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pop — to visit
  10. band — a music group
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of law
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pop — music
  15. rock — music
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — for sport
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. court — of a king
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. rock — to move gently

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