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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.

Make a worksheet

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: tube · dip · press · row · face · straw · wave · bass

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. tube — a container
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bass — the fish
  7. press — newspapers
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. row — to paddle
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bass — low music
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. face — to confront
  22. row — a line
  23. dip — to sink
  24. face — to point toward

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