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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.

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: bass · straw · scale · fall · can · net · stick · spell

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — magic
  3. can — a tin
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bass — low music
  6. spell — letters
  7. net — in sport
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bass — the fish
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. net — for catching
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. scale — size or range
  14. net — after costs
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — a short time
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fall — to drop
  23. scale — in music
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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