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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: rock · lash · ball · object · wind · drill · straw · bass

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. object — a thing
  3. wind — moving air
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. drill — the tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. bass — low music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wind — moving air
  10. drill — army training
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. drill — a practice
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ball — a great time
  18. bass — the fish
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. object — to protest

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