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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: nail · fan · plane · straw · rest · bass · date · bat

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bat — the animal
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. fan — a supporter

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