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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: bowl · mark · wake · stick · object · cold · straw · bass

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  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. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. cold — not warm
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. object — a thing
  11. cold — an illness
  12. object — an aim
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. mark — a trace
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bass — the fish
  18. object — to protest
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. mark — a grade
  23. bass — low music
  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