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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. bass — low music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mark — a trace
  9. tube — the underground
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bass — the fish
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ground — crushed
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ground — a position
  19. tear — from crying
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. tube — a container
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. branch — a division

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