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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: straw · mine · row · arm · bass · snap · drill · fine

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. drill — army training
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bass — the fish
  6. row — to paddle
  7. drill — the tool
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. row — a line
  14. bass — low music
  15. fine — all right
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. fine — high quality
  24. straw — dry grass

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