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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: straw · stand · chest · bear · chair · jam · bass · bulb

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. bass — low music
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. chest — of your body
  7. bass — the fish
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — for light
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. stand — to bear

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