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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.

Make a worksheet

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: lean · mine · straw · fall · wave · jam · bass · spring

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. mine — for digging
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. bass — low music
  24. spring — the season

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