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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
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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: leaves · bass · straw · pound · toast · date · cabinet · saw

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. toast — bread
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. pound — a weight
  9. saw — the tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. saw — the tool
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. bass — low music
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bass — the fish
  19. date — the fruit
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bass — the instrument

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