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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: bass · perch · wake · field · straw · bowl · rush · tube

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. bass — low music
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. wake — a trail
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. field — a subject
  11. perch — the fish
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. bass — the fish
  15. field — for sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. tube — the underground
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. tube — a container
  24. straw — a straw man

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