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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.

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: stock · plane · deal · bass · land · straw · tear · cabinet

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — low music
  5. tear — from crying
  6. deal — to handle
  7. land — ground
  8. plane — a tool
  9. land — a country
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bass — the fish
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. tear — to rip
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stock — goods
  20. land — to come down
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. stock — shares
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. plane — in geometry

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