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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 120 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: firm · race · bass · pitch · bark · bulb · snap · straw

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. snap — to click
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bark — to shout
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bulb — for light
  9. race — the arms race
  10. firm — decided
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. firm — steady
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. race — humankind
  22. firm — a company
  23. bulb — for light
  24. race — a contest

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