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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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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. scale — in music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. scale — size or range
  5. lean — thin
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bass — low music
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. lean — to bend
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. tear — from crying
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. content — the amount
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. tear — to rip
  22. hand — help
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. content — happy

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