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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rest · bowl · bass · straw · mine · plane · wax · ground

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. ground — crushed
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. rest — what's left
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bass — the fish
  13. rest — a break
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ground — the earth
  16. rest — what's left
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. ground — a position
  19. wax — to grow
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bass — low music
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. bowl — a dish

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