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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: firm · bass · tube · straw · spring · staff · net · saw

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. firm — steady
  5. firm — decided
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. net — in sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. staff — a stick
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tube — a container
  14. staff — employees
  15. bass — low music
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bass — the fish
  18. staff — employees
  19. net — for catching
  20. spring — a coil
  21. net — after costs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. firm — a company
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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