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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: row · root · staff · straw · pound · bass · present · cabinet

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. staff — employees
  5. present — a gift
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — a line
  10. bass — low music
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pound — a weight
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. present — the time now
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. root — the cause
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. root — of a word
  24. bass — the fish

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