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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 120 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: race · bass · cap · pop · straw · can · trunk · lie

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pop — music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. can — a tin
  6. lie — to recline
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. cap — a hat
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. pop — to visit
  12. can — to be able to
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. race — humankind
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. can — a tin
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cap — of ice
  19. race — a contest
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pop — soda
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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