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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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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: toast · straw · bore · mate · stand · bass · arm · wound

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bass — the fish
  5. toast — bread
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stand — to bear
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bore — to drill
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mate — to breed

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