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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: straw · bulb · stock · rash · chest · bass · nail · capital

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. rash — a series
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bulb — for light
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bulb — for light
  11. chest — a box
  12. stock — goods
  13. bass — low music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rash — hasty
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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