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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.

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: key · straw · swing · wake · drill · bound · wave · bass

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. bass — low music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. key — for a lock
  5. drill — a practice
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. drill — the tool
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. key — the most important part
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. key — in music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bound — certain
  20. drill — army training
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. bound — obliged

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