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

Word bank: stand · race · straw · bay · swing · trunk · tear · bass

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. race — a contest
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. swing — music
  14. stand — to bear
  15. tear — from crying
  16. race — the arms race
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. tear — to rip
  23. swing — in golf
  24. trunk — of a car

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