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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: bass · bound · straw · spell · wound · rash · prune · cap

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cap — a lid
  6. bound — obliged
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spell — magic
  10. bass — the fish
  11. prune — to trim
  12. rash — a series
  13. bound — certain
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bound — tied together
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spell — a short time
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bass — low music
  24. spell — letters

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