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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: dip · lie · straw · roll · bass · fan · tear · staff

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. roll — a cake
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. tear — from crying
  5. lie — to recline
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. dip — to sink
  9. roll — a list
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. staff — employees
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the fish
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bass — low music
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. tear — from crying
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. staff — a stick
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. straw — a straw man

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