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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.

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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: straw · bear · can · last · saw · bass · coach · present

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. can — a tin
  4. present — there
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. present — a gift
  7. last — final
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. last — finally
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — to be able to
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — to go on
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. can — a tin
  24. bass — the fish

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