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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. object — to protest
  5. band — a music group
  6. object — an aim
  7. bass — the fish
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. row — a line
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. craft — boats
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. row — to paddle
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. tear — from crying
  21. craft — a skill
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. object — a thing
  24. safe — out of danger

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