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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: can · last · mug · bark · cap · straw · stand · bass

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bass — low music
  3. cap — of ice
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cap — a lid
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. last — final
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — finally
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. mug — to rob
  17. last — to go on
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stand — to bear
  20. mug — a face
  21. can — a tin
  22. bass — the fish
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cap — a hat

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