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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 116 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: pop · saw · bass · lean · trunk · straw · scale · hide

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. scale — size or range
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — low music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. lean — thin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. scale — in music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bass — the fish
  15. lean — to bend
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pop — soda
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. pop — music
  24. trunk — of a tree

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