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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 · row · mate · fall · can · cue · wound

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. can — a tin
  3. fall — to drop
  4. can — a tin
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bass — low music
  7. fall — the season
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — to breed
  10. mate — a friend
  11. can — to be able to
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bass — the fish
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. cue — a hint
  18. row — a line
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mate — a partner
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cue — a signal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cue — for pool

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