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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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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: fork · bass · straw · chip · jam · rush · leaves · wind

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. rush — hurry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bass — low music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. chip — to eat
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. wind — moving air
  17. fork — in a road
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — the fish
  24. chip — for betting

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