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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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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: chest · prune · bay · ruler · net · bass · straw · coach

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. prune — to trim
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. prune — to trim
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — a box
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. bass — the fish
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — low music
  24. ruler — for measuring

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