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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: calf · chair · tear · wind · bass · straw · pop · spell

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. spell — a short time
  3. tear — from crying
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a leader
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. pop — soda
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pop — music
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — to visit
  15. spell — magic
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — letters
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bass — low music
  22. tear — to rip
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — the fish

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