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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: pop · object · lash · roll · spring · saw · straw · bass

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bass — the fish
  4. spring — the season
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. object — an aim
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bass — low music
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. spring — of water
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. spring — a coil
  21. object — a thing
  22. roll — a list
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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