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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
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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: pop · cold · rash · bass · rock · straw · wound · key

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pop — to visit
  5. key — in music
  6. cold — an illness
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. rock — a stone
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. bass — low music
  11. pop — music
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. key — for a lock
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. key — the most important part
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. pop — soda
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. rash — a series
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rock — music

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