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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: tear · land · stand · bass · mouse · nail · straw · mate

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. tear — to rip
  4. land — to come down
  5. bass — the fish
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stand — to bear
  10. tear — from crying
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. land — ground
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. tear — from crying
  19. mate — a partner
  20. bass — low music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mouse — for a computer

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