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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: bear · straw · bass · spring · date · rash · net · plane

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. spring — a coil
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — of water
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. net — after costs
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. net — for catching
  14. spring — the season
  15. bass — the fish
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. plane — a tool
  19. rash — a series
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. bass — low music

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