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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: field · straw · bass · snap · object · spring · shower · stand

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. field — for sport
  5. spring — of water
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bass — the fish
  9. snap — to click
  10. bass — low music
  11. object — an aim
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. spring — the season
  14. field — farmland
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. shower — rain
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stand — to bear
  20. field — a subject
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. object — a thing
  23. shower — to wash
  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