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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: bass · straw · race · march · hide · wave · firm · shower

  1. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — a sudden rise
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — low music
  5. race — the arms race
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. race — a contest
  8. firm — a company
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. firm — steady
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bass — the fish
  16. firm — decided
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. race — humankind
  20. shower — to wash
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. march — the month

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