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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
468
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 · pop · season · chair · stick · bass · spring · mug

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. spring — a coil
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bass — the fish
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a leader
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — music
  10. mug — a face
  11. bass — low music
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spring — the season
  14. mug — a cup
  15. pop — to visit
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. season — in sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. spring — of water

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