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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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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: pitcher · plane · content · bass · bound · bulb · wake · straw

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bass — the fish
  4. wake — a trail
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — happy
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — certain
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bulb — for light
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bass — low music
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. pitcher — a jug

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