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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.

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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: cabinet · net · present · bass · saw · stand · snap · straw

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bass — the fish
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to click
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. net — after costs
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bass — low music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. present — a gift
  17. net — for catching
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. saw — the tool
  22. present — there
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. present — the time now

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