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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: spring · straw · bay · trunk · pop · drill · bass · club

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. drill — the tool
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. club — for golf
  10. pop — to visit
  11. spring — of water
  12. club — a group
  13. bass — low music
  14. drill — army training
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pop — music
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. pop — soda
  23. spring — the season
  24. bay — a horse colour

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