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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: saw · deal · date · bass · rush · fall · bark · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. rush — hurry
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. fall — the season
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. deal — to handle
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. bass — low music
  24. date — the fruit

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