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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. bass — low music
  3. present — a gift
  4. tear — from crying
  5. field — farmland
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bank — for money
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bank — of a river
  12. swing — music
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. swing — to play on
  15. field — for sport
  16. present — there
  17. tear — from crying
  18. saw — the tool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bank — for money
  22. present — the time now
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. field — a subject

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