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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 116 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: straw · wake · game · bass · content · spell · calf · leaves

  1. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. game — wild animals
  5. content — the amount
  6. bass — the fish
  7. spell — magic
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. wake — a trail
  10. spell — a short time
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bass — low music
  16. game — a match
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. content — happy
  23. spell — letters
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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