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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fall · bass · arm · plane · content · land · straw · trunk

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. land — ground
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. land — to come down
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bass — low music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. bass — the fish
  11. plane — a tool
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. land — a country
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fall — to drop
  18. content — the amount
  19. fall — the season
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. content — happy
  24. straw — a straw man

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