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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lean — thin
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — all right
  9. cold — an illness
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. lean — to bend
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bass — low music
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wind — moving air

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