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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: patient · kid · cap · spring · object · deal · bass · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bass — the fish
  4. cap — of ice
  5. deal — to handle
  6. object — a thing
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. cap — a hat
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. object — to protest
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spring — of water
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. cap — a lid
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. spring — the season
  21. object — an aim
  22. bass — low music
  23. kid — to tease
  24. spring — a coil

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