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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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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 · band · cabinet · toast · patient · arm · vault · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. band — a ring
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. vault — a safe
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. toast — bread
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. band — a music group
  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