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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: press · cabinet · straw · clip · plane · coach · wound · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. plane — a tool
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. press — to push
  9. clip — to cut
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bass — the fish
  13. clip — for paper
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. clip — a video
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. coach — a trainer

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