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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: toast · staff · stem · plane · straw · clip · pound · bass

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. clip — to cut
  5. toast — bread
  6. staff — employees
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. clip — for paper
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pound — a weight
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — to come from
  16. staff — employees
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — low music
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. bass — the fish
  23. clip — a video
  24. pound — to hit hard

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