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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · straw · bank · cold · hand · bass · tube · cell

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — the fish
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. hand — help
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. tube — a container
  9. tube — the underground
  10. can — a tin
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. bank — for money
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bank — of a river
  23. cold — an illness
  24. bass — low music

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