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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: date · prune · straw · bound · rock · bass · cap · chest

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. bass — the fish
  4. chest — a box
  5. bass — low music
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chest — of your body
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. prune — to trim
  11. rock — music
  12. prune — to trim
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — certain
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bound — tied together
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cap — a lid
  24. chest — of your body

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