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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.

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: racket · wake · court · wound · straw · bass · mate · lean

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — of a king
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. court — for sport
  10. bass — low music
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bass — the fish
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mate — to breed
  21. lean — thin
  22. mate — a partner
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lean — to rest against

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