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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 120 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: kick · straw · saw · bear · bass · root · mug · chest

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bass — low music
  6. root — of a plant
  7. root — of a word
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chest — a box
  11. kick — in football
  12. mug — a cup
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. root — the cause
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — to rob
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. saw — the tool

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