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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.

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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: bark · bass · bat · safe · straw · craft · wave · band

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bark — to shout
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. craft — a skill
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. craft — boats
  7. bat — the animal
  8. band — a music group
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. band — a ring
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bass — low music
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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