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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. last — to go on
  3. spring — the season
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cap — of ice
  6. bass — low music
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. last — finally
  9. tear — to rip
  10. last — final
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cap — a hat
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. spring — of water
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. spring — a coil
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cap — a lid

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