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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · rock · bass · rash · rule · mate · wound · lean

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rule — a law
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rash — a series
  8. mate — to breed
  9. rash — hasty
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rock — music
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. lean — thin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. lean — to bend
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rule — government
  22. bass — low music
  23. mate — a partner
  24. bass — the instrument

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